Police in San Diego county have named 19-year-old John Earnest as the man held for questioning following a shooting at a synagogue on Saturday that left one woman dead and at least three injured
• San Diego synagogue shooting: one dead and three injured </s> POWAY, Calif. -- Authorities have identified 19-year-old John Earnest as the man who opened fire at a San Diego-area synagogue Saturday morning, killing one worshipper and injuring three others.Earnest entered the synagogue with an "AR-type assault weapon" and began shooting, according to San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore. Law enforcement sources told ABC News the shooting happened quickly, and the shooter appears to have fired more than 10 rounds before leaving the synagogue.One victim, 60-year-old Lori Gilbert Kaye, was taken to a hospital but later died . A friend of Kaye's, Audrey Jacobs, said on Facebook that she was "taking bullets" for Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein to save his life, and the rabbi continued to give his sermon after being shot. Goldstein was also shot, while 8-year-old Noya Dahan and 34-year-old Almog Peretz suffered shrapnel wounds. Their injuries are not considered to be life-threatening.Gore said there were indications that Earnest's weapon malfunctioned during the shooting. ABC News has learned that Earnest was wearing a helmet-mounted camera and planned to live-stream the attack online, but the camera apparently also malfunctioned.An off-duty Border Patrol officer attempted to stop the suspected Earnest inside the synagogue, but Earnest escaped and later called the California Highway Patrol to arrange his own surrender following the shooting, according to authorities. San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit said the officer who took Earnest into custody clearly saw a firearm in the front seat of Earnest's car.The suspect used a .223 AR rifle that was purchased weeks before the attack, a law enforcement source told ABC News.Earnest, who had no previous contact with law enforcement, may be charged with a hate crime in addition to homicide, Gore said. Investigators said Saturday they were working to determine whether or not Earnest was involved in a recent fire at a mosque in nearby Escondido, California Investigators are also looking into social media posts and an online open letter attributed to Earnest.A person identifying themselves as John Earnest posted an anti-Jewish screed online about an hour before the attack. The poster described himself as a nursing school student and praised the suspects accused of carrying out deadly attacks on mosques in New Zealand last month and at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue Oct. 27. </s> POWAY, Calif. — The suspect detained in connected to the shooting at the Congregation Chabad in Poway has been identified as John T. Earnest.

Earnest, 19, has posted anti-Trump and anti-Jewish messages on social media and has created a manifesto. In the manifesto, Earnest references scorching a mosque in Escondido.

RELATED: 1 dead, 3 injured after shooting at Chabad synagogue in Poway

Earnest was reportedly driving a Honda sedan and inside the car was an assault-style weapon found on the passenger seat. A GoPro camera was also discovered in the vehicle. A bullet hole was seen in the driver’s-side door.

According to police, Earnest walked into the Congregation Chabad in Poway and started shooting. An off-duty Border Patrol agent was inside when the shooting started. The agent opened fire while the suspect fled. The bullets missed the suspect, but hit the suspect's door. The shooter then took off down the street where he was eventually taken into custody after calling 911 to say he was involved in a shooting. When SDPD caught up with him Earnest got out of his car with his hands up and was arrested. </s> POWAY, Calif. — A teen accused of opening fire at a Poway synagogue that killed one and wounded three others posted an open letter online the day of the shooting.

John Earnest, 19, was identified by investigators Saturday as the suspect in the deadly shooting at Congregation Chabad on Chabad Way near Espola Road and Rancho Bernardo Road.

In a letter, Earnest identifies himself as “a man of European ancestry” and writes he is “blessed by God for such a magnificent bloodline.”

The Cal State San Marcos student, who is reportedly on the Deans List, went on to take credit for the Poway synagogue shooting and also a suspected arson fire at the Islamic Center of Escondido.

Around 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Earnest reportedly walked into Congregation Chabad and opening fire. A “white male adult … with an AR-type assault weapon” walked in to the synagogue and started shooting. About 100 people were inside at the time, according to San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore.

As the shooter fled the temple, an off-duty Border Patrol agent who had been inside the temple fired at his car, hitting the vehicle but not the driver, Sheriff Bill Gore said.

California Highway Patrol received a call from a man claiming to have carried out the attack and telling dispatchers where he was located. Around the same time, a San Diego police officer spotted a vehicle matching the suspect’s car in the area, Police Chief David Nisleit said.

Earnest jumped out with his hands up and surrendered to the officer, Nisleit said. As the officer put Earnest in handcuffs, “he clearly saw a rifle” on the car seat.

Officers arrived at Earnest’s Rancho Peñasquitos home, where he apparently lived with his parents, a short time later. Around 3:20 p.m., officers cleared the cul-de-sac of anyone but residents and investigators. People were escorted to their homes and asked to shelter in place.

At the same time, Earnest was being questioned by investigators. Gore said that the FBI was working with local authorities to review a “manifesto” circulating online that may have been posted by the suspected shooter. Earnest had no prior criminal record. </s> Synagogue members console one another outside of the Chabad of Poway Synagogue Saturday, April 27, 2019, in Poway, Calif. Several people were injured in a shooting at the synagogue. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

A 19-year-old surrendered to police after bursting into Chabad of Poway, north of San Diego

The rabbi who led a service on the last day of Passover suffered a gunshot wound to his hands and two others endured shrapnel wounds as political, civic and religious leaders across the country struggled to make sense of another fatal attack on a house of worship six months after a mass shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue.

John T. Earnest, 19, surrendered to police after bursting into Chabad of Poway, north of San Diego on Saturday and opening fire with about 100 people inside, killing Lori Kaye, 60, and injuring Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, Noya Dahan, 8, and Almog Peretz, 34, authorities said.

Earnest, who had no previous contact with law enforcement, may be charged with a hate crime in addition to homicide, San Diego County Sheriff William Gore said. Earnest is also being investigated in connection with an arson attack on a mosque in nearby Escondido, California, on March 24.

Goldstein told “Today” in a phone interview he was in the middle of his sermon when he heard loud noises. He turned around and saw he was “face-to-face with this murderer, this terrorist.” He said he put his hands up to protect himself and lost one of his fingers in the shooting.

READ MORE: Officials: Four injured in shooting at California synagogue

There were indications an AR-type assault weapon might have malfunctioned after the gunman fired numerous rounds inside, Gore said. An off-duty Border Patrol agent working as a security guard fired at the shooter as he fled, missing him but striking his getaway vehicle, Gore said.

Shortly after fleeing, Earnest called 911 to report the shooting, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit said. When an officer reached him on a roadway, “the suspect pulled over, jumped out of his car with his hands up and was immediately taken into custody,” Nisleit said.

Goldstein described Kaye as a “pioneering, founding member” of the congregation and says he is “heartbroken” by her death.

A friend of Kaye’s, Audrey Jacobs, said on Facebook that she was “taking bullets” for the rabbi to save his life, and the rabbi continued to give his sermon after being shot.

Almog Peretz, who had moved to California a few months ago from the rocket-battered town of Sderot in southern Israel near the Gaza border, said a man entered the synagogue and started shooting in all directions.

“I was with my back to the shooter. I heard a shot or two and then turned around to face him and that’s when he fired at me. I ran quickly, picking up a small girl in my hands,” he recalled in conversation with the Israeli YNet news site. “He hit me once in the leg and I kept running. I didn’t feel it much since there we so many bullets flying by. I heard them and I saw them right next to me.”

Gore said authorities were reviewing copies of Earnest’s social media posts, including what he described as a “manifesto.”

A person identifying themselves as John Earnest posted an anti-Jewish screed online about an hour before the attack. The poster described himself as a nursing school student and praised the suspects accused of carrying out deadly attacks on mosques in New Zealand last month and at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue Oct. 27.

“It was a hate crime, no doubt about it,” national security adviser John Bolton said on “Fox News Sunday.” He said investigators have not seen any connection between the suspect and other extremist groups.

California State University, San Marcos, confirmed Earnest was a student on the dean’s list and said the school was “dismayed and disheartened” that he was suspected in “this despicable act.”

There was no known threat after Earnest was arrested, but authorities boosted patrols at places of worship as a precaution, police said.

Minoo Anvari, a member of the synagogue, said her husband was inside during the shooting. She said he called to tell her the shooter was shouting and cursing.

She called the shooting “unbelievable” in a peaceful and tight-knit community. “We are strong; you can’t break us,” Anvari said.

Rabbi Yonah Fradkin, executive director of Chabad of San Diego County, said that “in the face of senseless hate we commit to live proudly as Jews in this glorious country. We strongly believe that love is exponentially more powerful than hate. We are deeply shaken by the loss of a true woman of valour, Lori Kaye, who lost her life solely for living as a Jew.”

Donny Phonea, who lives across the street from the synagogue, turned off his power drill and heard someone shout, “Police!” Then he heard three or four shots.

The 38-year-old bank auditor looked over his backyard fence facing the synagogue and saw people hiding behind an electrical box in the parking lot of a neighbouring church. At that point, he knew something was “very, very wrong,” went inside and closed his doors and garage.

“I’m a little taken aback,” said Phonea, who moved to Poway two weeks ago. “I moved here because safety was a factor. Poway is very safe.”

President Donald Trump offered his sympathies Saturday, saying the shooting “looked like a hate crime.”

“Our entire nation mourns the loss of life, prays for the wounded and stands in solidary with the Jewish community,” Trump said later at a rally in Wisconsin. “We forcefully condemn the evils of anti-Semitism and hate, which must be defeated.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom said he joins the community in grief.

“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,” he said.

Elliot Spagat And Daisy Nguyen, The Associated Press

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter </s> Friends of a the woman killed during the mass shooting at Congregation Chabad synagogue Saturday are calling her a hero. 60-year old Lori Kaye of Poway, California reportedly shielded her rabbi from the gunman, saving the life of Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein.

Kaye was shot and died minutes later at Palomar Medical Center Poway. Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein was injured from a gunshot to his hand. One child and a man were also shot and they are in stable condition. They are identified as 8-year old Noya Dahan and 34-year old Almog Peretz.

Police have identified the gunman, 19-year old John Earnest of San Diego. Armed with an assault rifle, The California State University San Marcos student opened fire on congregants during end of Passover worship services late Saturday morning. He later called 911 and surrendered to police.

According to the Union-Tribune, an anti-Semitic manifesto written by Earnest includes an admission that he had attempted to commit arson against an Escondido mosque in March.

The San Diego Sheriff’s office says Earnest is charged with one count of first degree murder and three counts of attempted first degree murder in the Poway synagogue shooting.

New York Times best selling author, Radio & TV host of Turningpoint Dr. David Jeremiah of Shadow Mountain Community Church of El Cajon, California released a statement about the shooting saying:

“Today we mourn with those directly impacted by today’s tragic synagogue shooting at the Chabad of Poway. Poway is a community close to Turning Point and Shadow Mountain Community Church. Our prayers are with the victims and their families and for all the Jewish people throughout this city, this country, and the world. The Christian community stands firmly and compassionately behind our Jewish brothers and sisters, and we condemn hatred against anyone, especially those with their heads bowed in prayer, as those in Poway were, celebrating the last day of Passover. May God be close to those who have suffered this terrible tragedy.

The Congregation Chabad synagogue shooting was the second mass shooting to occur at a U.S. synagogue within the past six months. Eleven people were killed and seven injured in a mass shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue October 27th, exactly six months prior to the Poway shooting. </s> John Earnest has been identified as the suspect who entered a San Diego-area synagogue and opened fire in an attack that has left one person dead and several others injured.

Police in the city of Poway said the 19-year-old white man opened fire in what they believe was a hate crime given statements he made during or prior to the shooting. The shooter was believed to have used what police described as an “AR-type assault weapon” in the attack.

Esmeralda Medellin, a reporter with Telemundo, noted on Twitter that several law enforcement sources had identified the shooting suspect as John T. Earnest, a 19-year-old white man.

As WCBS reporter Kevin Rincon reported on Twitter, authorities said one woman was killed in the attack and three others were taken to the hospital, including a child and the rabbi at the synagogue.

John Earnest was identified as a San Diego resident, and police were reportedly poring over the man’s social media pages to glean more information about the attack and his motives.

Police said the shooting could have been much worse were it not for the brave actions of the congregants inside the synagogue at the time of the attack.

“I also understand from folks on the scene that this shooter was engaged by people in the congregation and those brave people certainly prevented this from being a much worse tragedy,” Poway Mayor Steve Vaus told CNN.

Police said John Earnest fled the scene after the synagogue shooting, but an off-duty Border Patrol agent opened fire on the suspect. Earnest was apprehended in his car and surrendered to police with his hands up.

Witnesses said the leader of the synagogue remained calm in the midst of the shooting. Congregation member Minoo Anvari, whose husband witnessed the shooting, told CNN that the synagogue’s rabbi made a call for unity and prayed even after he was shot.

“This is something bad (that) is happening all over,” Anvari said. “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.”

The shooting took place six months after the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in American history, when a shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh left 11 people dead. That attack was also described as a targeted hate crime from a suspect who posted anti-semitic comments online.

Police have not yet announced the exact charges John Earnest will face in relation to the San Diego-area synagogue shooting. </s> John Earnest has been identified as the suspect who entered a San Diego-area synagogue and opened fire in an attack that has left one person dead and several others injured.

Police in the city of Poway said the 19-year-old white man opened fire in what the believe was a hate crime given statements he made during or prior to the shooting. The shooter was believed to have used what police described as an “AR-type assault weapon” in the attack.

Esmeralda Medellin, a reporter with Telemundo, noted on Twitter that several law enforcement sources had identified the shooting suspect as John T. Earnest, a 19-year-old white man.

As WCBS reporter Kevin Rincon reported on Twitter, authorities said one woman was killed in the attack and three others were taken to the hospital, including a child and the rabbi at the synagogue.

John Earnest was identified as a San Diego resident, and police were reportedly poring over the man’s social media pages to glean more information about the attack and his motives.

Police said the shooting could have been much worse were it not for the brave actions of the congregants inside the synagogue at the time of the attack.

“I also understand from folks on the scene that this shooter was engaged by people in the congregation and those brave people certainly prevented this from being a much worse tragedy,” Poway Mayor Steve Vaus told CNN.

Police said John Earnest fled the scene after the synagogue shooting, but an off-duty Border Patrol agent opened fire on the suspect. Earnest was apprehended in his car and surrendered to police with his hands up.

Witnesses said the leader of the synagogue remained calm in the midst of the shooting. Congregation member Minoo Anvari, whose husband witnessed the shooting, told CNN that the synagogue’s rabbi made a call for unity and prayed even after he was shot.

“This is something bad (that) is happening all over,” Anvari said. “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.”

The shooting took place six months after the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in American history, a shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 people dead. That attack was also described as a targeted hate crime from a suspect who posted anti-Semitic comments online.

Police have not yet announced the exact charges John Earnest will face in related to the San Diego-area synagogue shooting. </s> POWAY, April 28 — A teenage gunman who wrote a hate-filled manifesto opened fire at a synagogue in California yesterday, 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.

Two Israelis — an eight-year-old girl and her 31-year-old uncle — were wounded in the attack, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said, adding their condition was “good”.

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 — where there were around 100 people — shortly after 11.20am 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.

Gore said authorities were examining Earnest’s social media activity and establishing the authenticity 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 into the investigation,” he said.

The manifesto, seen 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.

Following the attack, a vigil was set to take place Saturday evening at the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles officials said that they were boosting patrols around synagogues and other places of worship in light of the attack.

Speaking at a rally in Wisconsin, President Donald Trump denounced the 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 said.

“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.”

“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.”

And German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also expressed solidarity with the victims: “On the last day of the Passover celebration, another violent anti-Semitic act shocks us. The attack on the Chabad of Poway Synagogue in San Diego impacts us all.”

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.”

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre 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 per cent leap in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2017, the sharpest yearly spike since the 1970s. — AFP
John Earnest, a 19-year-old student at California State University, San Marcos, is arrested after Poway synagogue shooting.