Topline: A North Carolina teen is facing adult murder charges after authorities say she recorded and spread the livestream of the San Diego mosque massacre that left three men dead.
Published: September 3, 2026 10:04 pm ET
Randy Shaw
I cut my teeth in journalism when I began looking into what I saw as abuses of power in my local government. From then on, I was hooked on the dopamine rush of uncovering information.
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Sarah L. Santiago (via Winston-Salem Police Department)
WINSTON-SALEM, NC — A 17-year-old North Carolina girl has been charged with murder in connection with the May mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego after prosecutors said she agreed in advance to record the attack livestream, distribute the video and publish the shooters’ manifesto.
According to WFLA, Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said Sarah L. Santiago was arrested last week and indicted Monday on three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy. Prosecutors said she is charged under an aiding-and-abetting theory, which carries the same penalties as if she had carried out the killings herself, and she was being held without bond.
The indictment alleges Santiago agreed before the attack that she would record the livestream as the gunmen filmed it, circulate the recording and release a written document they prepared. Prosecutors also accused her of buying a patch bearing a white-supremacist symbol and sending it to one of the attackers to wear during the shooting. O’Neill said only three people watched the initial livestream.
Authorities said Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, stormed the mosque on May 18 before a security guard exchanged gunfire with them and triggered a lockdown that helped protect about 140 children nearby. The attackers killed security guard Amin Abdullah, 51, along with Mansour Kaziha, 78, and Nadir Awad, 57, before taking their own lives in a vehicle nearby. Prosecutors said the pair had also planned later attacks on a Jewish temple and a high school.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Teen Allegedly Agreed to Livestream Mosque Attack Before Gunmen Opened Fire, Prosecutors Say
A North Carolina teen is facing adult murder charges after authorities say she recorded and spread the livestream of the San Diego mosque massacre that left three men dead.
By Randy Shaw
Published: September 3, 2026 10:04 pm ET
Sarah L. Santiago (via Winston-Salem Police Department)
WINSTON-SALEM, NC — A 17-year-old North Carolina girl has been charged with murder in connection with the May mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego after prosecutors said she agreed in advance to record the attack livestream, distribute the video and publish the shooters’ manifesto.
According to WFLA, Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said Sarah L. Santiago was arrested last week and indicted Monday on three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy. Prosecutors said she is charged under an aiding-and-abetting theory, which carries the same penalties as if she had carried out the killings herself, and she was being held without bond.
The indictment alleges Santiago agreed before the attack that she would record the livestream as the gunmen filmed it, circulate the recording and release a written document they prepared. Prosecutors also accused her of buying a patch bearing a white-supremacist symbol and sending it to one of the attackers to wear during the shooting. O’Neill said only three people watched the initial livestream.
Authorities said Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, stormed the mosque on May 18 before a security guard exchanged gunfire with them and triggered a lockdown that helped protect about 140 children nearby. The attackers killed security guard Amin Abdullah, 51, along with Mansour Kaziha, 78, and Nadir Awad, 57, before taking their own lives in a vehicle nearby. Prosecutors said the pair had also planned later attacks on a Jewish temple and a high school.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Teen Allegedly Agreed to Livestream Mosque Attack Before Gunmen Opened Fire, Prosecutors Say
A North Carolina teen is facing adult murder charges after authorities say she recorded and spread the livestream of the San Diego mosque massacre that left three men dead.
By Randy Shaw
Published: September 3, 2026 10:04 pm ET
Sarah L. Santiago (via Winston-Salem Police Department)
WINSTON-SALEM, NC — A 17-year-old North Carolina girl has been charged with murder in connection with the May mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego after prosecutors said she agreed in advance to record the attack livestream, distribute the video and publish the shooters’ manifesto.
According to WFLA, Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said Sarah L. Santiago was arrested last week and indicted Monday on three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy. Prosecutors said she is charged under an aiding-and-abetting theory, which carries the same penalties as if she had carried out the killings herself, and she was being held without bond.
The indictment alleges Santiago agreed before the attack that she would record the livestream as the gunmen filmed it, circulate the recording and release a written document they prepared. Prosecutors also accused her of buying a patch bearing a white-supremacist symbol and sending it to one of the attackers to wear during the shooting. O’Neill said only three people watched the initial livestream.
Authorities said Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, stormed the mosque on May 18 before a security guard exchanged gunfire with them and triggered a lockdown that helped protect about 140 children nearby. The attackers killed security guard Amin Abdullah, 51, along with Mansour Kaziha, 78, and Nadir Awad, 57, before taking their own lives in a vehicle nearby. Prosecutors said the pair had also planned later attacks on a Jewish temple and a high school.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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