A 19-year-old walked into Chabad of Poway Synagogue near San Diego early Saturday afternoon and opened fire on peaceful worshippers during a Passover service.
According to ABC News, the 19-year-old California man took aim at the congregants using an assault-style rifle, killing one woman and injuring three others.
The assailant has been identified and was apprehended only moments after fleeing the scene.
According to ABC News, after shots rang out, 51-year old Oscar Stewart rushed after the gunman causing him to make a break for his vehicle. According to officials, as Stewart pursued the shooter, another member of the synagogue who is a U.S. Border Patrol agent ran out and yelled for Stewart to stand down. This allowed the Federal Agent to let off a few rounds at the shooter’s vehicle before the shooter fled the scene.
Moments later, a Canine officer heading to the scene spotted the vehicle and was able to arrest the gunman.
A funeral is being held on Monday for 60-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye who was the sole murder victim in the shooting. Gilbert-Kaye is being exalted as a hero as witnesses say she threw herself in front of a bullet to save long-time friend, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein.
According to USA Today, Goldstein was working on evacuating children from the synagogue when Gilbert-Kaye was shot and killed.
Among the injured are Goldstein, an eight-year-old girl and her uncle.
The suspect has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. The shooter is also being investigated in connection with an arson attack in March at a nearby Mosque, USA Today reports.
This comes six months after the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pennsylvania, nearly a month after the massacre of Muslims at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and only weeks after the coordinated bombings at Christian churches and hotels in Sri Lanka.
Photo courtesy: Getty Images/David McNew/Stringer
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