Winston-Salem 17-year-old girl faces 3 murder charges in San Diego mosque shooting
WINSTON-SALEM, NC (WWAY) — A 17-year-old North Carolina girl has been indicted on three counts of first-degree murder and felony conspiracy in connection with a May shooting at an Islamic center in San Diego that left three people dead.
Court records identify the teenager as Sarah Lindsay Santiago, of Winston-Salem. She was arrested Aug. 27, according to Forsyth County court records.
Santiago was initially charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony conspiracy. A grand jury issued an indictment Monday, Aug. 31, charging her with three counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
According to the indictment, prosecutors allege Santiago aided and abetted Caleb Vazquez and Cain Clark in the killings of three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18.
The indictment identifies the victims as Nadir Awad, Amin Abdullah, also known as Brian Matthew Climax, and Mansour Kaziha.
Prosecutors allege Santiago agreed with Vazquez and Clark before the attack to livestream the shootings, distribute the recording publicly and release a manifesto written by the attackers that purported to justify the attack.
The indictment also alleges Santiago purchased and sent Vazquez a Sonnenrad patch, which prosecutors say he wore during the attack.
The original case was investigated by law enforcement agencies in North Carolina and California. The May 18 shooting involved two teenage suspects, ages 17 and 18, who were later found dead in a vehicle near the mosque, according to authorities.
Authorities previously said the suspects had expressed broad hatred toward different religions and races. Investigators also recovered 30 firearms and a crossbow from two residences searched in connection with the investigation.
