POWAY, United States, April 28, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A teenage gunman who wrote
a hate-filled manifesto opened fire at a synagogue in California on Saturday,
killing one person and injuring three others including the rabbi as
worshippers marked the final day of Passover, authorities said.
The shooting in the town of Poway, north of San Diego, came exactly six
months after a white supremacist killed 11 people at Pittsburgh’s Tree of
Life synagogue — the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in US history.
San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said those wounded included the rabbi —
who had injuries to both index fingers — as well as a female minor and 34-
year-old man who were injured by shrapnel.
A 60-year-old woman died from her wounds.
Gore identified the suspect, who was arrested after fleeing the scene, as
19-year-old John Earnest and said he had no prior arrest record.
He said Earnest burst into the Chabad of Poway synagogue shortly after
11:20 a.m. local time and opened fire with an assault weapon that appears to
have malfunctioned, preventing him from inflicting more harm.
Gore said an off-duty border patrol agent who was at the synagogue at the
time of the shooting opened fire on the gunman as he was fleeing, striking
his car but missing the suspect.
The man was eventually apprehended by a San Diego police officer who had
been monitoring dispatch radio and raced to the scene, San Diego police chief
David Nisleit said.
“He clearly saw the suspect’s vehicle, the suspect jumped out with his
hands up and was immediately taken into custody by the San Diego police
department,” Nisleit said.
– Hate-filled manifesto –
Gore said authorities were examining Earnest’s social media activity and
establishing the legitimacy of an anti-Semitic open letter he apparently
published on a far-right message board hours before the attack.
“We have copies of his social media posts and his open letter and we’ll be
reviewing those to determine the legitimacy of it and how it plays in to the
investigation,” he said.
The manifesto, reviewed by AFP, is similar to one posted on the same
message board by Brenton Tarrant, a white supremacist who was behind the
March 15 mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people
dead.
The hate-filled letter lauds Tarrant’s actions and that of the Pittsburgh
shooter and claims responsibility for a fire at a mosque in California a week
after the Christchurch shootings.
Speaking at a rally in Wisconsin, President Donald Trump denounced
Saturday’s shooting as a “hate crime” and offered his support to the victims.
“Tonight, America’s heart is with the victims of the horrific synagogue
shooting in California,” he told supporters.
“Our entire nation mourns the loss of life, prays for the wounded and
stands in solidarity with the Jewish community. We forcefully condemn the
evil of anti-Semitism and hate which must be defeated.”
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom also denounced the tragedy.
“While we continue to learn more about what transpired, we can’t ignore the
circumstances around this horrific incident,” he said.
“No one should have to fear going to their place of worship, and no one
should be targeted for practicing the tenets of their faith.”
– ‘Flames of hatred’ –
Minoo Anvari told the local CNN affiliate that her husband was inside the
synagogue during the shooting.
“Just one message from all of us from our congregation that we are standing
together,” she said. “We are strong. You can’t break us. We are all
together.”
On Twitter, Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she was
“heartbroken” by news of the shooting.
“We have a responsibility to love + protect our neighbors,” she said.
“The hatred and violence has got to stop,” added California representative
Mike Levin.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles said in a statement that the
shooting was “a horrific reminder that the flames of hatred still burn strong
among some.”
“An attack, on any house of worship, from churches in Sri Lanka and France
to synagogues in Jerusalem or Pittsburgh to mosques in Christchurch, are an
assault on human dignity and our rights as people of faith to pray to God,”
it added.
Saturday’s shooting comes amid a rise in hate crimes in the United States,
the majority targeting those of Jewish faith.
Last year, the Anti-Defamation League, which combats anti-Semitism and
discrimination, reported a 57 percent leap in the number of anti-Semitic
incidents in 2017, the sharpest yearly spike since the 1970s.