North Carolina Woman Indicted for Murder in San Diego Mosque Shooting That Killed 3

A North Carolina woman has been indicted on three counts of murder for allegedly helping spread the attackers' message after the deadly San Diego mosque shooting.

North Carolina Woman Charged Over Role in San Diego Mosque Attack

A North Carolina woman has been indicted on three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy in connection with the mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, NY Post Metro reports. She was arrested last week following a months-long investigation involving the FBI and law enforcement agencies in both California and North Carolina.

The woman was 17 years old at the time of the May 18 attack, in which three men were killed. The shooting was carried out by 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez, both of whom were later found dead inside a vehicle near the mosque.

According to Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill, the woman was one of three people who watched a livestream of the attack as it unfolded. She allegedly recorded that livestream, published the gunmen's writings, and disseminated both to a wider audience.

"We didn't know what she was capable of," O'Neill said at a press conference. "The law in North Carolina is clear. A person may be guilty of a crime, although he or she personally does not do any of the acts to constitute the crime."

Prosecutors are pursuing the murder charges under an aiding-and-abetting theory, which holds that a person can be criminally responsible for a killing if they knowingly helped facilitate it — without physically pulling the trigger. Investigators allege she was involved in spreading the gunmen's manifesto and material related to the livestream of the attack.

Authorities said the attackers intended to "kill as many people as possible that day" and sought to have their ideology reach a broader audience. The woman's alleged actions, according to prosecutors, directly served that goal.

Initially, because she was a minor at the time of the shooting, she faced the prospect of spending only a few years in the juvenile justice system. Prosecutors said their decision to seek adult charges grew out of concern over the seriousness of the allegations and the possibility that she could soon return to school.

The case was developed over several months through a joint investigation by the FBI, San Diego authorities, and North Carolina law enforcement, who examined her alleged communications and conduct in the period surrounding the attack.

Source: NY Post Metro