One person has died and at least three others are injured following a shooting at a synagogue in Poway, a city San Diego County, California.
The shooting, at the Chabad of Poway synagogue, occurred on the final day of Passover, and local mayor Steve Vaus has labeled it a hate crime.
Speaking with media, Vaus said:
“This is not Poway. We always walk with our arms around each other, and we will walk through this tragedy with our arms around each other … Poway will stay strong, and we will always be a community that cares for each other.”
A local resident told CNN that he heard “six to seven gunshots, then a man yelling, followed by six to seven more shots” coming from the premises.
The synagogue’s website indicates that it was hosting a celebration beginning at 11am, with a final Passover meal set to happen at 7pm.
According to reports in NPR, a 19-year-old man has been detained for questioning in connection with the incident, and police are reviewing his history of social media posts.
Update #1: A man has been detained for questioning in connection with a shooting incident at the Chabad of Poway synagogue. @SDSOPoway Deputies were called to Chabad Way just before 11:30 a.m. There are injuries. This is a developing situation.
— Poway Station (@SDSOPoway) April 27, 2019
Local authorities say that an older woman died from her wounds in the shooting, while “a female juvenile and two males” are among those injured.
This shooting occurred six months after a terror attack the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, which left eleven people dead and seven injured, and is the deadliest attack on Jewish people in the United States.
