Gore said Earnest, whose weapon apparently malfunctioned after the first several rounds he fired, had no prior criminal record. Poway Mayor Steve Vaus characterized Saturday’s shooting as a “hate crime,” saying his assessment was based on statements uttered by the gunman when he entered the synagogue. A San Diego officer was en route to the shooting scene when he overheard a California Highway Patrol (CHP) radio dispatch “of a suspect who had called into CHP to report that he was just involved in this shooting and his location,” San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit recounted. The synagogue was hosting a holiday celebration beginning at 11 a.m. and due to culminate in a final Passover meal at 7 p.m. “They would only do that on emergency basis, if they do it at all,” Bromberg told the newspaper.

Source: Standard Digital April 28, 2019 02:26 UTC