Police in San Diego say a man has been detained for questioning after one person was killed and three others injured during a shooting at a synagogue in San Diego County, California.
The San Diego Sheriff's Office say deputies responded to reports of a gunman on Chabad Way just before 11:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Chabad of Poway. The suspect reportedly entered the synagogue holding an AR-type assault weapon and opened fire on the congregation present at the Passover celebration taking place there this morning.
One person was killed, and three others were taken to the hospital, including rabbi Yisorel Goldstein, who founded the Chabad center in 1986 and was holding the service Vaus told CNN. Witnesses reported hearing six or seven shots following by screams and silence, and then another set of shots. The witness also said the rabbi attempted to calm the congregation down, despite being injured.
Sheriff Bill Gore said an off-duty Border Patrol Agent who was inside the synagogue fired on the shooter, but did not hit him. The suspect was described as a 19-year-old white adult male who lives in the city of San Diego. Sheriff Gore said the suspect called police after the shooting to surrender himself. Homicide detectives are interviewing the suspect and his social media presence online.
Poway Mayor Steve Vaus told CNN the congregation had been targeted by "someone with hate in their heart ... toward our Jewish community and that just will not stand."
Vaus also said that the "shooter was engaged by people in the congregation" and that "those brave people certainly prevented this from being a much worse tragedy."
Multiple churches in the area were placed on lockdown shortly after the shooting was reported. The San Diego Police Department says they've added extra patrols around houses of worship in the San Diego area.
Saturday is the last day of Passover, one of the holiest Jewish celebrations of the year. According to the synagogue's website, the Chabad of Poway is a center for Jewish people of all backgrounds that was established in 1986. The synagogue was hosting a Passover celebration this weekend, their Facebook page states. The event was scheduled to end at 7 p.m. with a final Passover meal.
President Donald Trump spoke to reporters about the shooting outside the White House before leaving for a trip to Wisconsin.
"My deepest sympathies go to the people that were affected, the families, their loved ones. Based on my last conversations, looks like a hate crime, hard to believe. With respect to the synagogue in California near San Diego, we're doing some very heavy research, we'll see what happens, what comes up. Right now it looks like a hate crime," Trump said. "Law enforcement did a fantastic job."
Saturday's shooting comes six months after the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue that left 11 people dead.
The Sheriff's Department is asking residents to stay away from the area while they investigate the shooting.
This is a breaking news update. More information will be added as it becomes available.
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