A single individual came through the doors of the Jewish Congregation Chabad in Poway, California, Saturday and began cursing and shooting around 11:30 AM PT. One person was killed but has not yet been publicly identified, and there are "several victims with varying injuries," according to San Diego County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Aaron Meleen. Police detained a suspect “down the road” from the synagogue. Poway is located northeast of San Diego.
••• •••
Updated at 6:30 PM PT: The white, 19-year-old suspect has been identified—you can read his name here. He has been linked to what is being described as an anti-semitic manifesto on the internet. He was armed with a semi-automatic rifle that appeared to be an AR-15 type.
••• •••
Saturday marked the last day of Passover. "It’s a very important celebration for us. There’s lots of people inside, they’re praying," Minoo Anvari, a member of the congregation, told NBC 7. "Everybody was crying and screaming."
Democratic Rep. Scott Peters, who represents California’s 52nd district where the synagogue is located, tweeted:
The San Diego Sheriff's Office said that a man is in custody and being question by investigators, and “we don’t believe there are any other suspects,” a spokesperson told The Daily Beast. The man’s name has not been released. [...]
CNN reported that one of the victims is Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein who was conducting service at the time and that he suffered hand injuries after being shot in the hand. His condition is unknown at this time.
Six months ago, 11 people were shot and killed in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. A man has been charged in that massacre with killing the 11 worshippers and injuring seven others.
