Charles David and Jamiles Lartey – The Guardian April 28, 2019

Witnesses said the gunman wore a tactical vest and helmet.

Police in San Diego county have named a 19-year-old man held for questioning following a shooting at a synagogue on Saturday that left one woman dead and at least three people injured.

Authorities identified the suspect in the shooting in the city of Poway, 20 miles (30km) north of San Diego, as John Earnest. The San Diego county sheriff, William Gore, said Earnest was from the city of San Diego and had no prior arrests.

Gore said Earnest used an “AR-style” semi-automatic rifle. There were indications that the gun might have malfunctioned after firing numerous rounds inside the synagogue, the sheriff said.

As the shooter fled, an off-duty Border Patrol agent inside the synagogue opened fire, missing him but striking his getaway vehicle, Gore said.

Earnest called 911 shortly afterward to report the shooting, the San Diego police chief, David Nisleit, said. When an officer reached the man on a roadway, “the suspect pulled over, jumped out of his car with his hands up and was immediately taken into custody”, Nisleit said.

Gore said four people were struck by gunfire and taken to the Palomar medical centre, where one of the victims, an “older woman”, died. The three other patients – “two adult males” and a “female juvenile” – were in a stable condition. The identities of the victims were not given.

The fatality was first confirmed by the mayor of Poway, Steve Vaus, who called the incident a “hate crime”.

The community was targeted by “someone with hate in their heart … towards our Jewish community and that just will not stand”, Vaus said on MSNBC.

Vaus also reported that a rabbi was shot in the hand, and that members of the congregation engaged the gunman. “Those brave people certainly prevented this from being a much worse tragedy,” he said.

The incident came on the last day of Passover and exactly six months since a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue killed 11 people.

No motive for the attack has been confirmed. Gore said investigators were reviewing the suspect’s social media posts and “his open letter” and that he was also being investigated in relation to a fire at a mosque last month in a nearby city.

Gore said his department would work with the FBI and the city of Escondido, 15 miles (24km) north of the synagogue, to investigate Earnest’s possible connection to an arson that caused property damage at Dar-ul-Arqam mosque last month but no injuries.

A person who identified as John Earnest wrote an online post citing deadly attacks on mosques New Zealand and Pittsburgh synagogue last year.

Authorities confirmed they were aware of an apparent manifesto written by the attacker, but did not delve into its substance and said they were working to confirm its legitimacy.

Nisleit said there was no known threat with the suspect now in custody, but he said authorities stepped up patrol at places of worship in the area as a precaution.

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