Poway synagogue shooting
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (April 2019) |
| Details | |
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| Location | Poway, California, United States |
| Date | April 27, 2019 11:23 a.m. (PDT) |
Attack type | Shooting |
| Weapons | AR-15 style rifle |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Injured | 3 |
| Motive | Antisemitism, belief in the white genocide conspiracy theory |
| Accused | John T. Earnest |
| Part of a series on |
| Antisemitism |
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On April 27, 2019, a 19-year-old man fired shots inside the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, California,[1] United States on the last day of the Jewish Passover holiday.[2] One adult woman died, and three other people were injured.[3] The shooter had an AR-style rifle in his possession at the time of his arrest.[4]
Suspect
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department identified John T. Earnest (born June 8, 1999),[5] a 19-year-old nursing student from the Rancho Penasquitos suburb of San Diego, California, as the suspect.[6][7] Prior to the shooting, Earnest was a student at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM).[8] Earnest published an anti-Semitic and racist open letter to 8chan's /pol/ board that cited Brenton Harrison Tarrant and Robert Bowers, the respective perpetrators of the Christchurch mosque shootings and Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, and Nazi Party leader and Fuhrer of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, as figures of inspiration for the Poway shooting.[9] The shooter attempted to livestream the shooting on Facebook but failed. The author of the open letter specifically blames Jews for the supposed "meticulously planned genocide of the European race" and other ills. The author also claimed responsibility for a March 2019 arson attack on a mosque in Escondido, California.[10][11]
Reactions
- Governor of California Gavin Newsom responded by saying, "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".[12]
- President of the United States Donald Trump offered "deepest sympathies to the families of those affected" by the shooting.[13]
- Vice President of the United States Mike Pence stated "We condemn in the strongest terms the evil & cowardly shooting at Chabad of Poway today as Jewish families celebrated Passover. No one should be in fear in a house of worship. Antisemitism isn't just wrong it's evil".[14]
- Members of the Democratic Party Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden and Eric Swalwell published statements condemning the attack.[15]
- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum released a statement which read "[M]oving forward this must serve as yet another wake-up call that antisemitism is a growing and deadly menace. All Americans must unequivocally condemn it and confront it in whenever it appears".[16]
See also
- History of antisemitism in the United States
- List of attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States
References
- ^ Paul, Deanna; Mettler, Katie (April 27, 2019). "Shooting at California synagogue leaves 1 dead, 3 injured in what mayor calls a 'hate crime' that 'will not stand". Washington Post. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ Lartey, Jamiles (April 27, 2019). "San Diego synagogue shooting: one dead and three injured". The Guardian. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "Woman killed, 3 injured in shooting at California synagogue". CBS News. April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ Van Sant, Shannon (April 27, 2019). "At Least 1 Killed In California Synagogue Shooting". NPR. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "San Diego Sheriff on Twitter: "Update #7 @SDSheriff Bill Gore confirms the name of the shooting suspect as 19-year-old John Earnest (DOB 6/8/99). We didn't find any prior law enforcement contact with Earnest. We're looking into digital evidence and checking the authenticity of an online manifesto."". Twitter. April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ Jones, Tom (April 27, 2019). "Who Is John T. Earnest? Suspect in Poway Synagogue Shooting". NBC San Diego. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ Horn, Allison; Carlisle, Cassie (April 27, 2019). "What to know about 19-year old Poway synagogue shooting John Earnest". ABC News. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ Kisken, Tom; Makinen, Julie (April 27, 2019). "San Diego synagogue shooting: what we know about suspect John Earnest". USA Today. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
John Earnest, the 19-year-old man detained in Saturday's deadly synagogue shooting in San Diego, was a student at Cal State University San Marcos, school officials said
- ^ Evans, Robert (28 April 2019). "Ignore The Poway Synagogue Shooter's Manifesto: Pay Attention To 8chan's /pol/ Board". bellingcat. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ Collins, Ben; Blankstein, Andrew (April 27, 2019). "Anti-Semitic open letter posted online under name of Chabad synagogue suspect". NBC News. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ Sommer, Allison Kaplan; Ziri, Danielle (April 27, 2019). "Gunman opens fire near San Diego synagogue; One Killed, Three Wounded". Haaretz/Associated Press. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ Spagat, Elliot; Nguyen, Daisy (April 27, 2019). "Synagogue shooting kills 1, wounds 3 during Jewish holiday". Associated Press. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "The Latest: Pittsburgh offers condolences after shooting". Fox News. April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "Vice President Mike Pence on Twitter". April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ Frazin, Rachael (April 27, 2019). "2020 Dems condemn bigotry, gun violence after synagogue shooting". Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "Statement on San Diego County Shooting: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Shooting: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Shocked At Synagogue Shooting". April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- Current events from April 2019
- 2019 in California
- 21st-century attacks on synagogues and Jewish communal organizations in the United States
- Antisemitic attacks and incidents in the United States
- April 2019 events in the United States
- Attacks in the United States in 2019
- Attacks on religious buildings and structures in the United States
- Fascism in the United States
- Neo-Nazism in the United States
- White nationalism in the United States
- White supremacy in the United States
- Alt-right