New details have emerged about the man arrested on suspicion of opening fire at a California synagogue.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, one victim had been confirmed dead and three others were being treated for injuries.
According to the Los Angeles Times, 19-year-old John T. Earnest of Rancho Penasquitos has been publicly identified by police as the suspected gunman who opened fire at the Chabad of Poway late Saturday morning.
He allegedly called 911 after the shooting to identify himself as the shooter. As of the latest updates available, he remained in police custody and was being questioned by investigators.
A letter being attributed to the suspect was reportedly posted online and allegedly details the planning that went into what is being described as an apparent hate crime.
“How long did it take you to plan the attack?” Earnest allegedly wrote. “Four weeks. Four weeks ago, I decided I was doing this. Four weeks later, I did it.”
Earnest is described as a white man and the letter allegedly references the shooting as an act he planned to commit “for the sake of my people.”
Police say he was armed with an “AR-type assault weapon,” as Heavy reported.
A member of the synagogue confirmed that the rabbi was among those injured.
“One guy was shooting at everybody and cursing,” Minoo Anvari said.
[Featured image: John Earnest, Facebook]
