Rabbi says shooter's gun jammed during California synagogue attack

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein hugs a congregant.

(Image credit: Sandy Huffaker/AFP/Getty Images)

published 29 April 2019

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein of Chabad of Poway revealed new information on Sunday afternoon about the shooting that took place Saturday at his synagogue north of San Diego.

One person was killed during the shooting, 60-year-old Lori Kaye, and three others, including Goldstein, were injured. "Lori took the bullet for all of us," Goldstein said. "She didn't deserve to die." The rabbi shared that he was getting ready for the day's service when he heard a loud noise, and looked up to see a young man holding a rifle. "I couldn't see his eyes," he said. "I couldn't see his soul."

Goldstein was shot in the hand, and then "miraculously, the gun jammed," he said. There were about 100 people in the synagogue at the time, and had the suspect, identified by police as 19-year-old John Earnest, turned toward the sanctuary, there could have been more casualties, Goldstein said. Earnest is being held without bail, and will be arraigned later this week on homicide charges. Police said he could also be charged with a hate crime.

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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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