Poway Synagogue Shooting Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

Prosecutors accuse John Earnest of killing one worshipper and wounding three others at the Chabad of Poway synagogue during Passover.
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SAN DIEGO (AP) — A man charged with a deadly Passover shooting at a Southern California synagogue has pleaded not guilty to murder.

John Earnest entered pleas Thursday in San Diego to an updated complaint accusing him of hate crime-related murder, attempted murder and other charges.

Prosecutors say the 20-year-old nursing student opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in San Diego County on April 27 during a Passover service. The attack killed 60-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye and wounded three others, including an 8-year-old girl and the rabbi, who lost a finger.

Earnest then reportedly called 911 to say he had shot up a synagogue because Jews were trying to “destroy all white people.”

Earnest also is charged with setting a fire at a mosque in March. Nobody was hurt.

John T. Earnest (L) stands at his arraignment hearing in San Diego County Superior Court on April 30, 2019 in San Diego, California.
John T. Earnest (L) stands at his arraignment hearing in San Diego County Superior Court on April 30, 2019 in San Diego, California.
Pool via Getty Images

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