California Man Charged with Hate Crimes for Synagogue Shooting

A 19-year-old man from California has been charged with 109 hate crimes related to the shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, California on April 27, 2019.

According to a sworn statement in support of the indictment, John T. Earnest, a resident of Rancho Peñasquitos, California, drove to the Chabad of Poway synagogue, where members of the congregation had gathered to celebrate a religious service in honor of the Sabbath and the last day of Passover.

Earnest entered the building armed with an assault rifle AR-15 fully loaded with a 10-round magazine. He wore a vest with five additional magazines, each loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition. The sworn statement alleges that while inside the synagogue, Earnest opened fire, killing one person and injuring three others, including a minor.

During a lull while Earnest attempted to reload his rifle, several members of the congregation, including a former Border Patrol agent, pursued Earnest as he fled the synagogue. Earnest escaped the scene in his car but was later apprehended by law enforcement, who discovered the AR-15 and additional ammunition magazines in the vehicle.

The sworn statement also alleges that, following the shooting, investigators found an online manifesto attributed to Earnest. A copy of the manifesto was later found on Earnest’s laptop during a search warrant execution. In the manifesto, Earnest made numerous anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim statements, specifically referring to Jews as a race and expressing regret for not killing more people.

According to the sworn statement, Earnest also confessed to setting fire to a mosque in Escondido in March 2019. The sworn statement alleges that on March 24, seven individuals were inside the mosque when they smelled gasoline and saw flames coming from the area.

The indictment charges Earnest with 109 counts of hate crimes, including murder, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon. The charges are related to the shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue and the alleged mosque arson.

Earnest’s current status is not available.

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