Los Angeles: One person was killed and three others injured after a man opened fire at a synagogue in Poway, California, the mayor said Saturday. "We had four folks with gunshot wounds. We do have one fatality. The rabbi was shot in the hand. My understanding is none of the other injuries are life threatening," Mayor Steve Vaus told cable news network MSNBC. "A man has been detained for questioning in connection with a shooting incident at the Chabad of Poway synagogue," tweeted San Diego Sheriff Bill Gore. "@SDSOPoway Deputies were called to Chabad Way just before 11:30 a.m. There are injuries. This is a developing situation." US President Donald Trump offered his "deepest sympathies" after one person was killed and three others were injured when a gunman opened fire at a synagogue north of San Diego, California. "At this moment it looks like a hate crime, but my deepest sympathies to all those affected and we´ll get to the bottom of it," Trump said at the White House.<doc-sep>A mural of George Floyd is shown in the intersection of 38th St & Chicago Ave on March 31, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Community members continue preparations during the third day in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with multiple counts of murder in the death of George Floyd. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 01: President Donald Trump's lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani talks to journalists outside the White House West Wing July 01, 2020 in Washington, DC. Giuliani did an on-camera interview with One America News Network's Chanel Rion before talking to other journalists about Vice President Joe Biden and the news that Russian intelligence may have paid Taliban operatives to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. 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(Photo by Philip Pacheco/Getty Images) A healthcare worker prepares to administer a Pfizer/BioNTEch coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine at The Michener Institute, in Toronto, Ontario on December 14, 2020. - Ontario, Canada's most populous province and one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, had 1,940 new cases and 23 deaths on Monday. The province is expected to give its next doses to nursing home workers as a priority, according to media reports. (Photo by CARLOS OSORIO / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS OSORIO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) 'Never seen levels like this': Union president on airline passenger misconduct Memorial Day weekend will bring rain and cool air for much of the East (CNN) — A 19-year-old man was in custody after a shooting at a California synagogue on the last day of Passover left at least one person dead and several others wounded, the city’s mayor said Saturday. The shooting occurred at Congregation Chabad in Poway, north of San Diego, Poway Mayor Steve Vaus said. He described it as a possible hate crime. President Donald Trump, speaking outside the White House Saturday, told reporters, “At this moment it looks like a hate crime, but my deepest sympathies to all of those affected and we’ll get to the bottom of it.” The Palomar Medical Center Poway received four patients from the shooting, according to a trauma surgeon. One patient, a 60-year-old woman, died at the hospital, Dr. Michael Katz said. An employee of the synagogue identified the dead woman as Lori Kaye. “The other three victims are doing well with their injuries,” he told reporters. A 57-year-old rabbi who was shot suffered what looked like defensive wounds to both of his index fingers. He will likely lose his right index finger, the doctor said. A 34-year-old man and a girl had shrapnel injuries. The girl, whose age was not given, was wounded in one leg and in the face. She was transferred to a children’s hospital and will be monitored overnight. Vaus said he considered it a hate crime “because of statements that were made when the shooter entered.” San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore later identified the suspect as John Earnest, of San Diego. Authorities are investigating to see whether Earnest is connected to arson at a mosque in nearby Escondido from last month, he said. The mayor said the congregation was targeted by “someone with hate in their heart … towards our Jewish community and that just will not stand.” The congregation “took security very seriously,” he said. Gore told reporters that the gunman was armed with an “AR-type assault weapon.” Authorities said an off-duty Border Patrol agent fired at the shooter as he was fleeing the scene, but didn’t hit the suspect. Gore said it appears the agent, who the sheriff thinks is a security guard, hit the suspect’s car. It is unclear why the suspect fled but it is possible his gun might have malfunctioned, the sheriff added. The suspect fled the scene and called 911 to say he was involved and give his location, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit said. A San Diego K-9 officer arrived and the shooter surrendered without incident, he said. Gore said the suspect was being interviewed by detectives and the FBI. The sheriff refused comment on a motive. “I want you to know this is not Poway,” Vaus told reporters. The sheriff’s department announced later that authorities believe the shooter acted alone. Rabbi, while wounded, calls for unity Congregation member Minoo Anvari, who said her husband witnessed the shooting, said the rabbi called for unity and prayed for peace even after getting shot. “Rabbi said, ‘We are united,’” said Anvari, a refugee from Iran. “This is something bad (that) is happening all over. And we have to believe that this bad thing is real and we don’t have to ignore it. We have to open our eyes. He prayed for peace. I respect him – even in spite of being injured he refused to go to hospital and he spoke. And he finished his speech and he then left the synagogue.” Anvari said her husband told her the shooter was cursing when he opened fire. A witness told CNN affiliate KGTV there were six or seven shots followed by screams and then another volley of shots. The witness said the wounded rabbi tried to calm the gunman and members of the congregation. Chabad of Poway Congregation Chabad is in Poway, north of San Diego. The San Diego Police Department is assisting sheriff’s deputies with the incident, according to a tweet from Nisleit. “No known threats however in an abundance of caution, we will be providing extra patrol at places of worship,” Nisleit said. The sheriff said the shooting happened at 11:23 a.m. (2:23 p.m. ET). The synagogue’s Facebook page said a Passover celebration was scheduled for 11 a.m. Did the gunman preface the shooting online? Authorities are aware of an open letter posted online purportedly by Earnest, Gore said in a news conference. Detectives are “collecting digital evidence” and are in the process of reviewing the online content “to determine its validity and authenticity,” the sheriff said. CNN has read through an open letter posted to the anonymous message board 8chan before the shooting. In the posting, someone identifying as Earnest references killing Jewish people without making actual reference to Poway, San Diego or the synagogue involved in the shooting. The letter writer talks about planning the attack and references other attacks on houses of worship, including the attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand. The writer also talks about his disdain for Jews and claims responsibility for a mosque fire in Escondido a week and a half after the attacks in Christchurch. The open letter is structured in a similar fashion to the manifesto linked to Christchurch attack suspect Brenton Tarrant, replete with a question-and-answer section in which the writer refers to questions he comes up with about his character, political affiliation, and motivation for carrying out the alleged shooting. Passover ending Passover, one of the holiest Jewish celebrations of the year, ends Saturday. The incident comes months six months to the day after the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. On October 27, Robert Bowers stormed the synagogue, killing 11 people in what the Anti-Defamation League said was the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history. A federal law enforcement official said at the time that Bowers made anti-Semitic statements during the shooting and targeted Jews on social media. The Chabad of Poway website said the congregation is a center for Jewish people of all backgrounds. It was established in 1986. Poway, about 20 miles north of San Diego, has about 48,000 residents. It is an upper-middle-class community that calls itself “The City in the Country.” The city website said it has one of the lowest crime rates in the state. CNN’s Steve Almasy, Dakin Andone, Chuck Johnston and Stephanie Becker contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
On Saturday, the last day of the Jewish holiday of Passover, a man entered a synagogue in a suburb of San Diego and opened fire on the worshippers inside. He killed one person, 60-year-old Lori Kaye, who was present at the service to mourn her mother’s death, and injured three other people. Authorities have since arrested the suspect, who has been charged with one count of murder and several counts of attempted murder. On Monday, the suspect’s family released a statement expressing their shock and sadness for the “grief and anguish our son has caused for so many innocent people.” The Chabad of Poway Synagogue shooting is the latest in a wave of attacks on places of worship in recent months. On Easter Sunday, suicide bombers targeted eight churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, killing over 300 and injuring hundreds more. Last month, a shooter attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, leaving more than 50 people dead. And exactly six months ago, a man attacked the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 people. The motivations behind these attacks differ, but they share one thing in common: The attackers have tried to transform places of worship and peace into spaces filled with violence, fear, and hate. The tragic irony is that these attacks tend to have the exact opposite effect. In the wake of the Poway synagogue attack, communities across the US and other faith groups have spoken out in support of the victims, to show their love, support, and solidarity. In an act of incredible composure and defiance, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who was injured in the attack, returned to his sermon after the gunman had left the building. “I guarantee you, we will not be intimidated or deterred by terror,” he told the Today show on Sunday. “Terror will not win.” If you’re getting caught up on the news from this weekend, here’s what you need to know about the Poway synagogue attack: what happened, who was involved, and how people have responded in the aftermath. What exactly took place? On Saturday morning, a man wielding an assault-style rifle entered a synagogue in Poway, a town about 21 miles north of San Diego, during a Passover service. Lori Kaye, who was attending the service to pray for her mother who had recently died, reportedly jumped in front of the rabbi to protect him. Kaye was shot and killed, and Goldstein was injured in both hands. A 34-year-old man named Almog Peretz and his niece, an 8-year-old girl named Noya Dahan, were injured in the attack as well. The shooter’s gun apparently jammed, and he then left the building. An off-duty Border Patrol agent who sometimes provided security for the synagogue shot at the suspect and missed as he was driving away. According to Reuters, the suspect called police and admitted to being involved in the shooting and then surrendered on a highway nearby soon after. The suspect is currently being held on one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Who’s the suspect, and what motivated him? Police have identified the suspected gunman as 19-year-old John Earnest, a nursing student at California State University San Marcos. Earnest reportedly published an anti-Semitic manifesto on the far-right message board 8chan hours before the attack. In the letter, which the New York Times describes as full of “racist slurs and white nationalist conspiracy theories,” he expressed his desire to kill Jewish people and wrote that his role models included Jesus Christ, Adolf Hitler, and the Tree of Life and Christchurch shooters. It was also extremely similar in tone to the manifesto attributed to the Christchurch shooter, NBC News reported, and followed a similar “Q&A” style format. How have people responded? On Sunday night, hundreds of people attended a vigil at a community park near Chabad of Poway Synagogue to express their solidarity with the Jewish community. They held candles and prayed for Kaye, the woman who was killed. President Donald Trump also condemned the attack at a rally in Wisconsin on Saturday, saying, “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.” The president also contacted Goldstein, who said that he was “amazed” to have received the phone call.