A 19-year-old gunman opened fire at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, California, on Saturday morning, leaving one dead and three injured, according to authorities.
Poway Mayor Steve Vaus and San Diego County Sheriff William Gore confirmed four people were transported to Palomar Medical Center with gunshot injuries at around noon, in a news conference Saturday afternoon.
One of the victims, an adult female, “succumbed to their wounds,” Vaus said. The three others – one female child and two adult males – remain in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. All three were in stable condition.
“I can only tell you that we have a fatality,” Vaus told MSNBC, “and I can also tell you that it was a hate crime, and that will not stand.”
Saturday marked the six month anniversary of the massacre at Pittsburgh’s oldest synagogue, Tree of Life, where an armed shooter killed more than 11 people and injured six others in the deadliest attack on Jews in the history of the United States.
Saturday’s shooting in Poway occurred one week after Easter Sunday on the last day of Passover, a holiday celebrating Jewish freedom from persecution.
Chabad is an orthodox Jewish Hasidic movement. Chabad Houses, like Jewish community centers, foster a philosophy of inclusion, opening their doors to individuals of all faiths and levels of observance.
The Poway Chabad hosts aweekly “Kiddush” luncheon when Shabbat morning services conclude. On Saturday, it was also holding a Passover celebration, according to 10News, which was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. with a final holiday meal.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department responded to reports of an active shooter at the synagogue just before 11:30 a.m. Two prayer services were in session at the synagogue at the time of the shooting.
The Poway Sheriff’s Station confirmed the shooting via Twitter, after deputies were called to the scene by “reports of a man with a gun.”
Police said a 19-year-old white male suspect turned himself in shortly after the shooting. Officials said the man had an assault rifle in his car, and is in custody for questioning.
Among the injured was Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, whose hand was wounded.
Minoo Anvari, a member of the congregation, told CNN that “(Goldstein) did not leave his congregation until he was finished speaking to them – calming their fears and pledging resilience.”
Anvari, whose husband was inside when the gunfire began, said, “Everybody was crying and screaming.”
President Trump expressed his “deepest sympathies” for the victims of the shooting, which he said “looks like a hate crime,” prior to departing for a rally in Wisconsin.
“My deep condolences to all of those affected,” the president added.
Other political and religious leaders condemned Saturday’s attack and voiced their support of the Jewish community.
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., tweeted: “Yet again a place of worship is the target of senseless gun violence and hate. Anti-Semitism is real in this country and we must not be silent – enough is enough.”
Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., also posted on the social platform, condemning the act of violence: “Tragic news that a gunman has attacked Chabad of Poway synagogue, on this, the last day of Passover, a day that is supposed to be a celebration of faith and freedom. I am thinking of, and praying for, those hurt and affected.”
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democratic presidential candidate, said the latest synagogue shooting underscores the need for tougher gun laws.
“This is one more demonstration that we have a new normal, and that we have become so divided that . . . we are allowing the divisions to lead to hate and allowing the hate to lead to violence,” Hickenlooper, who was governor during the Aurora movie theater shooting in 2012 that killed 12 people, told reporters after speaking at a labor forum in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon. “It is a combination of President Trump’s leadership at the top but tied into some of the real challenges we have around issues of mental health. People seem so vulnerable to the hatred.”
The Anti-Defamation League, which has recorded mass murders of Jews in the United States for decades, also vowed to work with law enforcement to monitor the situation.
“The Jewish community again is devastated,” Jonathan Greenblatt, the organization’s CEO, said Saturday. “It’s heartbreaking to see yet another tragedy on Shabbat, on Passover, exactly 6 months after the Tree of Life.”
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