The worshippers at Chabad of Poway were nearing the end of Passover, a sacred Jewish celebration steeped in ancient freedom, when a modern terror walked in the door.

A man armed with an assault-type rifle opened fire Saturday, killing one woman and injuring three other people, including an 8-year-old girl, in what authorities described as a hate crime.

The alleged shooter, John T. Earnest of Rancho Penasquitos, 19, was arrested after fleeing the synagogue amid a hail of bullets from a security guard.

Earnest is the apparent author of a long, anti-Semitic “open letter” detailing his “disgust” for Jews and his admiration for the perpetrators of other mass shootings, including the gunman who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue six months ago to the day.


Friends identified the woman killed as Lori Kaye, 60, of Poway. Witnesses said she jumped in front of the synagogue’s founding rabbi, Yisroel Goldstein, who was wounded in the index fingers on both hands.

Lori Kaye (left) and Noya Dahan (Courtesy photos)

Also injured was a Noya Dahan, 8, hit with shrapnel in the face and leg, and Almong Peretz, 34, who was shot in the leg as he scooped up children in an adjacent playroom and ushered them to safety.

“Sadly, we’re seeing these things happen all over the country,” Sheriff Bill Gore said. “And now even in our backyard.”


President Donald Trump offered condolences from the White House. “My deepest sympathies go to the people that were affected,” he told reporters. “At this moment, it looks like a hate crime. Hard to believe, hard to believe.”

The shooting came on the last day of Passover, one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt and is typically observed over eight days with a number of rituals, including Seder meals, the removal of leavened products from the home, and the sharing of the exodus story.

The worshippers were about 20 minutes into a celebration that began at 11 a.m. and was supposed to last until 7 p.m. when the gunman walked in. Witnesses said he was dressed in a green military vest, wore glasses, and carried what Gore called “an AR-15 style” assault rifle. Some said he was cursing.


Danny Almog, 40, had just arrived at the synagogue when he heard six loud bangs — noise he thought might be a chandelier falling or chairs crashing.

Screams followed: “Hide yourself. Shooting! Shooting! Shooting!”

Almog said he dropped to the floor and started crawling to find to his kids. He saw that his father-in-law had thrown his body over the Almog’s 2½-year-old son so he ran to grab his 4-year-old daughter Yuli, who had been in a children’s play room with perhaps a dozen other kids.

He screamed “Yuli, Yuli, where are you?”

A friend, Peretz, had her. He had scooped up several kids and ushered them to safety. As he fled, he was hit in the leg by shrapnel.

“He is a hero,” Almog said.

Authorities said the gunman’s rifle apparently jammed during the shooting, preventing further casualties. About 100 people were inside the synagogue.


As he fled in his car, an off-duty Border Patrol agent working as a security guard at the synagogue fired several shots, hitting the vehicle. The suspect called 911 shortly after and told a California Highway Patrol dispatcher that he had been involved in the shooting.

Around the same time, a San Diego police K9 officer was racing to the scene after hearing about the shooting on the police radio. The officer was monitoring the CHP radio as well and stopped where the suspect had pulled over, at Rancho Bernardo Road and Interstate 15.

“He jumped out of the car with his hands up,” San Diego police Chief David Nisleit said, and was taken into custody without incident. Authorities said Earnest has no prior criminal record.

1 / 37 Hannah Kaye and is comforted by her father Howard as Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, right, speaks at the burial of her mother Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, on April 28, 2019 in San Diego, California. Gilbert-Kaye was killed by a gunman at the synagogue. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 37 Hannah Kaye, left, scoops dirt during the burial of her mother Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, on April 28, 2019 in San Diego, California. Gilbert-Kaye was killed by a gunman at the synagogue. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 37 Hannah Kaye and is comforted by her father Howard as Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, right, speaks at the burial of her mother Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, on April 28, 2019 in San Diego, California. Gilbert-Kaye was killed by a gunman at the synagogue. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 37 Hannah Kaye, center, kneels with her father Howard at the burial of her mother Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, on April 28, 2019 in San Diego, California. Gilbert-Kaye was killed by a gunman at the synagogue. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 37 Mourners gather outside of Chabad of Poway for a memorial service for Lori Gilbert Kaye on April 29, 2019 in Poway, California. Kaye was killed on Saturday when a gunman opened fire inside the synagogue. (Sam Hodgson/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 37 Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein is seen on a screen to an overflow crowd of mourners gather outside of Chabad of Poway for a memorial service for Lori Gilbert Kaye on April 29, 2019 in Poway, California. Kaye was killed on Saturday when a gunman opened fire inside the synagogue. (Sam Hodgson/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 37 Mourners gather outside of Chabad of Poway for a memorial service for Lori Gilbert Kaye on April 29, 2019 in Poway, California. Kaye was killed on Saturday when a gunman opened fire inside the synagogue. (Sam Hodgson/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 37 Hundreds of people attended a service for Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, at the Chabad of Poway on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. Gilbert-Kaye was killed by a gunman at the synagogue. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 37 Oscar Stewart, left, who was called a hero in the Poway shooting, is hugged by Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein as Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, left, looks on during a service for Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, at the Chabad of Poway on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. Gilbert-Kaye was killed by a gunman at the synagogue. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 37 Howard Kaye speaks about his wife Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, during a service for her at the Chabad of Poway on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. Gilbert-Kaye was killed by a gunman at the synagogue. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 37 Oscar Stewart, left, who was called a hero in the Poway shooting, was called up by Poway Mayor Steve Vaus to lead God Bless America during a service for Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, at the Chabad of Poway on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. Gilbert-Kaye was killed by a gunman at the synagogue. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 37 Looking over at a picture of her mom, Hannah Kaye speaks about her mother Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, during a service at the Chabad of Poway on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. Gilbert-Kaye was killed by a gunman at the synagogue. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 37 Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein hugs a member of the congregation of Chabad of Poway the day after a deadly shooting took place there on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 37 Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, center, meets with members of the congregation of Chabad of Poway the day after a deadly shooting took place there on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. Goldstein was shot and lost a finger on his right hand. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 37 Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, center, meets with members of the congregation of Chabad of Poway the day after a deadly shooting took place there on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. Goldstein was shot and lost a finger on his right hand. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 37 Members of the St. John of Damascus Orthodox church bring flowers to the Chabad of Poway the day after a deadly shooting took place at the synagogue on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. St. John of Damascus is located across the street from the synagogue. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 37 Poway residents walk to leave flowers at a memorial near the Chabad of Poway, where a deadly shooting took place the day before on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. (Photo by K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 37 A memorial of flowers lays across the street from the Chabad of Poway the day after a deadly shooting took place at the synagogue on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 19 / 37 Leslie Gollub, left, and Gretchen Gordon comfort each other as they support the Jewish community at a rally not far from the Chabad of Poway, where a deadly shooting took place the day before on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 20 / 37 Poway residents leave flowers at a memorial across the street from the Chabad of Poway, where a shooting took place the day before on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. (Photo by K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 21 / 37 Mike Sakasegawa, left, of Mira Mesa and Penny Ribnik of Poway hold signs at a rally in support of the Jewish community not far from the Chabad of Poway, where a deadly shooting took place the day before on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 22 / 37 Members of the Chabad synagogue hug as they gather near the Altman Family Chabad Community Center where a man with a gun shot multiple people inside the community center, killing one, in Poway on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in Poway, California. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 23 / 37 Two men and woman, who appeared to have come out of the the Altman Family Chabad Community Center, walk in front of the community center where a man with a gun shot multiple people inside, killing one, in Poway on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in Poway, California. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 24 / 37 Brady Fox, 4, with his dad Kyle attend a rally not far from the Chabad of Poway, where a deadly shooting took place the day before on April 28, 2019 in Poway, California. (Photo by K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 25 / 37 Members of the media and the surrounding community gather near the Altman Family Chabad Community Center where a man with a gun shot multiple people inside the community center, killing one, in Poway on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in Poway, California. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 26 / 37 With the Chabad of Poway synagogue behind them, where a man with a gun shot multiple people inside the synagogue, killing one, San Diego Sheriff Bill Gore takes questions about the shooting from the media on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in Poway, California. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 27 / 37 Poway Mayor Steve Vaus speaks to the media during a press conference on the synagogue shooting in Poway, California on Saturday, April 27, 2019. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 28 / 37 A view up the cul-de-sac in the Rancho Peñasquitos neighborhood of San Diego where the house thought to be the home of 19 year-old John Earnest, is located. Earnest is a suspect in the shooting of four people in a Poway synagogue, killing one, on Saturday April 27, 2019 in San Diego, California. The house is on a cul de sac in the Rancho Peñasquitos neighborhood in the north part of the city. (John Gibbins/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 29 / 37 Heavily armed San Diego police officer retreated from a house thought to be the home of 19 year-old John T. Earnest, who is a suspect in the shooting of four people in a Poway synagogue, killing one, on Saturday April 27, 2019 in San Diego, California. The house is on a cut de sac in the Rancho Peñasquitos neighborhood in the north part of the city. (John Gibbins/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 30 / 37 People from the community, many of them of various faiths, join members of the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church in a candlelight vigil for the Chabad of Poway synagogue shooting victims. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 31 / 37 People from the community, many of them of various faiths, join members of the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church in a candlelight vigil for the Chabad of Poway synagogue shooting victims. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 32 / 37 Reverend Dr. Bryan Stamper leads people from the community, many of them of various faiths, along with members of the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church in a song during a candlelight vigil for the Chabad of Poway synagogue shooting victims. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 33 / 37 A couple attends an interfaith vigil for the Chabad of Poway synagogue shooting victims at the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church in a candlelight vigil at the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church in Rancho Bernardo on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 34 / 37 People of various faiths attend an interfaith vigil for the Chabad of Poway synagogue shooting victims at the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church in a candlelight vigil at the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church in Rancho Bernardo on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 35 / 37 A woman leaves flowers at small memorial near Chabad of Poway, where a man with a gun shot multiple people inside the synagogue, killing one, in Poway on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in Poway, California. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 36 / 37 Stacey Cavalieri places a sign near Chabad of Poway, where a man with a gun shot multiple people inside the synagogue, killing one, in Poway on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in Poway, California. Summerfield is the name of the neighborhood adjacent to the synagogue. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 37 / 37 A young girl places a heart shape note, similar the one in the foreground, on a light pole near Chabad of Poway, where a man with a gun shot multiple people inside the synagogue, killing one, in Poway on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in Poway, California. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

A rifle was found on the passenger seat of the car. Police later swarmed Earnest’s north San Diego neighborhood, blocking off streets and telling residents to shelter in place, as they prepared to search his home on Freeport Court. Investigators remained there late into the night.

An “open letter” attributed to Earnest circulated on social media Saturday. In it, the writer describes himself as “a man of European ancestry” and details a deep hatred and “disgust” for Jews. He lists among his inspirations the Pittsburgh synagogue gunman and the one who killed 50 people at two New Zealand mosques in March.

The writer said he is a nursing student who plays the piano. “I am a testament to the fact that literally anyone can do this,” he wrote.


A separate social media post attributed to Earnest indicated he had planned to live-stream the attack. That apparently did not happen.

The author of the open letter also took credit for attempting to burn down a mosque in Escondido last month. There were seven people inside the Islamic Center of Escondido when it caught fire at about 3:15 a.m. One person was awake and alerted the group, who put out the blaze. The arsonist left a note on the mosque’s driveway referencing the New Zealand massacres.

Escondido police Chief Craig Carter said Saturday that detectives were investigating the claim.

Friends and family gathered at Kaye’s home to grieve Saturday afternoon, as stories emerged about her heroic act inside the synagogue. Dr. Roneet Lev said Rabbi Goldstein told her that Kaye had thrown herself in front of him, possibly saving his life.

Kaye’s husband, a physician, was in the synagogue when the gunshots started. Worshippers called him over to help victims, and he began to do CPR on one until he realized it was his wife, Lev said. He then fainted.

Kaye had gone to the synagogue to say Kaddish, a Jewish prayer for the dead, for her mother, who had recently passed away, according to Lev.


“The irony is people will be saying it for her now,” Lev said.

Lev, director of emergency operations at Scripps Mercy Hospital, said Kaye was a “people person,” someone who rushed to do good deeds.

“God picked her to die to send a message because she’s such an incredible person,” Lev said. “He took her for a higher purpose to send this message to fight anti-Semitism.”

Friends said the San Diego native is also survived by a 22-year-old daughter. Kaye worked at Pro Specialties Group, a promotional goods and sports memorabilia company.


Dr. Michael Katz, the associate trauma director for Palomar Medical Center, said the other three victims “are doing well with their injuries.”

He described Goldstein’s injuries as “most likely a defensive wound” and said the rabbi would probably lose his right index finger. He was in surgery Saturday afternoon and will probably be in the hospital for a couple of days.

Noya, the elementary student, was injured in the leg and face, Katz said. A small piece of shrapnel was also pulled from her hair. She was transferred to Rady Children’s Hosptial.

Her family moved to the area from Mira Mesa a few years ago after swastikas were painted on their home, according to friends.


Peretz, wounded in the leg, will probably be hospitalized overnight.

Katz said he had spoken with the rabbi about the attack.

“He spoke about how, not only in 2019, but also on the last day of Passover, to have such a tragedy as this happen in America, and in California, is unspeakable — and I agree with him,” Katz said.

Law enforcement officers said they had heard of no threats against other local synagogues, but they would be providing extra patrols as a precaution.


Cantor Caitlin Bromberg of the Ner Tamid synagogue in Poway said, “We’re feeling fear. It could have just as easily been our service. It hits close to home.”

Tammy Gillies, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League in San Diego, said, “It’s not just the victims that were hurt. It’s everyone that was in that room and it’s everyone in the Jewish community that feel that they cannot be safe. That’s what hate crimes do. They affect everyone.”

Community members vowed not to let the shooting shatter their faith.

“One message from all of us in our congregation is that we are standing together, we are getting stronger,” said Minoo Anvari, whose husband was inside the synagogue when the shooting started. “Never again. You can’t break us. We are strong.”

“Why? The question is, why? People are praying.”

Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, noting that the city recently held a successful interfaith gathering, said, “We always walk with our arms around each other, and we will walk through this tragedy with our arms around each other.”

Vaus said he’d spoken by phone with President Trump, who offered any federal resources needed.


The shooting occurred at a synagogue that dates to 1986, when it was founded by Rabbi Goldstein. The Chabad is affiliated with Lubavitch, a branch within Orthodox Judaism’s Hasidic movement.

It bills itself as a place where “Traditional Jewish values are brought to life in a joyous, non-judgmental atmosphere.”

It grew quickly, attracting families to a congregation modeled on the bustling Jewish enclaves that existed in New York City and Eastern Europe, including several dozen people who moved close by so they could walk to the sanctuary and follow the requirement to avoid operating machinery on the Sabbath.

It the mid-1990s, it underwent a $1.7 million expansion, turning a collection of temporary buildings into a 13,000-square-foot facility with a sanctuary, meeting hall, a school and offices.


“We’re trying to create a Jewish community,” Goldstein said at the time.

In 2015, in an effort to “start fresh again with new and young energy,” the Chabad brought in Rabbi Mendel and Shterna Goldstein from Brooklyn.

They’ve introduced a variety of programs, including a lecture series featuring Holocaust survivors such as Anne Frank’s sister, who appeared there in February.

They’ve also hosted Chanukah at the Mall, a menorah workshop at Home Depot, and a “model matzah” bakery at Albertson’s.


Like many synagogues around the country, Chabad of Poway responded to earlier mass shootings by increasing its security through grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — $81,000 in 2006 and $75,000 in 2010.

Among those reaching out to the congregation Saturday were members of the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, site of the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history last October.

“It was only six months ago to the day that we became members of that tragic club of community-based shootings to which no one wants to belong,” the synagogue said in a statement. “We know first-hand the fear, anguish and healing process such an atrocity causes, and our hearts are with the afflicted San Diego families and their congregation.”

Other faith leaders, elected officials and civil-rights leaders condemned the attack.


“Our hearts go out to everyone at Chabad House Poway for the senseless violence that took place earlier today,” Bishop Robert McElroy of the San Diego Roman Catholic Diocese said in a statement. “Houses of worship should be places of peace. Know that the entire Catholic Community of San Diego and Imperial Counties is keeping you in our prayers.”

“This Passover shooting at Chabad of Poway synagogue is heartbreaking,” said Farhana Khera, executive director of Muslim Advocates, a Washington D.C. group. “This is an attack on us all.”

Staff writers Wendy Fry, J. Harry Jones, and Pauline Repard contributed to this story.

Members of the media and the surrounding community gather near the Altman Family Chabad Community Center where a man with a gun shot multiple people inside the community center, killing one, in Poway on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in Poway, California. (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune)