Los Angeles Synagogue Shooting: Two Men Wounded in "Hate Crime"

by Amy Judd | October 29, 2009 at 06:56 am
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In Los Angeles today two men in their 30s have been shot in their legs outside Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic Synagogue in the 12000 block of Sylvan Street, a North Hollywood synagogue, and police are investigating to determine if it is a hate crime. The shooting took place in the parking area of the synagogue.

The two men arrived separately for the morning service just before 6:20am. The synagogue has security cameras and they are being reviewed, but there were no security guards present at the time.

The Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic Synagogue on Google Maps

A video report of the shooting

A man with a gun entered the synagogue at 6:19am and shot two people. They are in stable condition. A man is in custody. Police say that the victims were Jewish and a suspect in custody is black. The suspect in custody is about 17-years-old and does match a description given by witnesses, but police are still searching the area. They are not certain that this man is the suspect involved in the shooting.

They have not recovered the hand gun involved.The gunman didn't say anything when he entered the synagogue according to police, and witnesses said he looked angry. The gun jammed at first when he fired and then he fixed it and fired again. 

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called the incident "a senseless act of violence." The mayor was careful to temper worries that the shooting was a hate crime.

"None of us should presume or speculate more about this other than it was a random act of violence."]

Jewish schools and other synagogues in the area have been advised of what happened and police have asked them to activate their security systems.

Police are working with the FBI to solve what happened in North Hollywood this morning. 

Michael Bloom, 30, an Orthodox organizer with Hatzolah, a Jewish volunteer medical response team, grew up in the diverse neighborhood. He said there had been instances of Jews being insulted as they walked to the synagogue on the Sabbath.

"This has been going on for years. Everything from "death to Israel" to "dirty Jew,'" he said. "There are gangs in the area. It's not the safest neighborhood."

However, Sholomo Yaghobi, 18, said the neighborhood was "calm, relatively."

More information when it becomes available.

jordan
jordan
flagged this story as Breaking

at 07:59 on October 29th, 2009

amyjudd, thanks for getting this story out so quickly. It will now show up on the home page for four hours. If new developments justify it, I'll renew this flag for another cycle.

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7
smkovalinsky

So many hate crimes in the news lately!  Thanks for posting.  I suppose this man had been reading political propaganda about Jews,  the internet is full of hate groups . . . :(

1
Amy Judd

Well they've now said they are not officially calling it a hate crime and are still investigating. They say it could have just been a robbery.

0
Roy C

No, I correct myself. Sleepy and confusing two different reports.

1
jazzyzazzy

The world needs a massive injection of love to rid the hatred.

2
Tomitheos

thanks for bringing attention to this matter amyjudd, hate crime or not, violence is the real enemy and hate seems to always fuel it

0
Babel-Fish

I fact the gunman shot both of the Jewish guys in the leg gives a strange twist towards this was not a crime of religious hate. Jewish Mafia? 

0
film izle

Well they've now said they are not officially calling it a hate crime and are still investigating. They say it could have just been a robbery.

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albertacowpoke
First Flagged at 7:21 AM, Oct 29, 2009 by albertacowpoke
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