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AGAIN

One Dead, Three Injured in Shooting at San Diego Area Synagogue

Officials are calling the incident a “hate crime” based on “statements the shooter made when he entered.”

Audrey McNamara,

Pilar Melendez

04.27.19 3:43 PM ET

Denis Poroy

A 19-year-old man armed with an AR-15-style rifle opened fire on a suburban San Diego synagogue Saturday morning, killing at least one person and injuring three others, including one child, in a mass shooting that the mayor has called a “hate crime.”

The San Diego Sheriff's Office said they have a 19-year-old San Diego man in custody and “we don’t believe there are any other suspects.” The man, who was arrested by San Diego police was being questioned by investigators Saturday afternoon.

The shooting took place around 11:30 a.m. PST, at the Chabad of Poway, a 33-year-old synagogue in a town of about 50,000 people located just northeast of San Diego.

During a press conference, Sheriff William Dore said the man, who has not been named, was carrying an “AR-type assault weapon and open fire” after he entered the synagogue, striking four people, including a woman who was killed, two men who are in stable condition and a child.

The local FBI and ATF offices in San Diego said agents are working with local officials on the investigation.

It was not immediately clear what motivated the shooting, but Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, speaking on CNN, called the attack a “hate crime,” adding it was according to “statements the shooter made when he entered” the building.

“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,” he said.

Dore said that police have copies the suspect’s social media posts and an alleged hate-filled open letter he wrote right before the shooting that “we will be reviewing those to determine legitimacy of it and determine how exactly it plays into the investigation.”

The open letter referred to by law enforcement is apparently a manifesto shared on the toxic trolling board 8chan shortly before the suspect opened fire. A spokesperson for the sheriff's office declined to provide any additional details about the open letter.

The manifesto reviewed by The Daily Beast contains apparent misinformation and is clearly meant to be found and disseminated. (It uses the same question-and-answer format of the manifesto of the terrorist who attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.) The writer identifies himself as a Christian of European descent. While he eschews political labels, the writer repeats a far-right accusation that Jews seek to destroy the white race through immigration of non-whites. It is the same purported motive given by the man who allegedly killed 11 Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue last October.

The shooting, comes exactly six months to the day after 11 people were killed in a synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh.

“I can only tell you that we have a fatality,” Vaus told NBC.“This community will come together, will put their arms around each other and we will be there for the families affected and be there in an ongoing fashion just like we always are.”

Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn, President Donald Trump expressed his “deepest sympathies” to the Poway congregation and “the people that were affected” in what “obviously.. looks like a hate crime.”

“We are doing some very heavy research and we will see what comes up but it looks like a hate crime,” Trump said before heading to Wisconsin for a rally in protest of the annual White House Correspondent’s Dinner. “Hard to believe, hard to believe.”

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.

The Chabad center was founded in 1986 as a congregation “for Jews of all backgrounds who want to learn more about their Jewish roots,” according to their website.

The shooting comes on the last day of passover. According to the event announcement on the synagogue’s website, they were hosting a Passover Holiday Celebration that began at 11 a.m. and was set to end at 7 p.m. with a final Passover meal.

“Deputies investigate reports of a man with a gun. Please stay clear of the area and allow deputies to safely do their job. Thank you for your patience and cooperation,” read a tweet from the San Diego County Sheriff Office Twitter account.

“Please stay clear of the area and allow deputies to safely do their job. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.”

The shooting falls exactly six months after Robert Bowers, 46, allegedly entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh just after 10 a.m, reportedly shouting “all Jews must die” before opening fire and killing 11 people.

— With additional reporting by Justin Miller

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