Local Jewish community reacts to alleged shooter of two Jewish men in LA arrested in the valley
The local Jewish community is speaking out after a Riverside County man, accused of shooting two Jewish men in Los Angeles, was arrested in the valley. And now, he's facing federal hate crime charges.
Rabbi Steven Rosenberg led Friday night's Shabbat service at Temple Isaiah in Palm Springs. Rosenberg not allowing the recent Jewish attacks to overshadow it.
"One of the messages is that we can't give into fear," said Rosenberg. "The best thing we can do is be proud of who we are. We need to be vigilant. We need to have our security, which we do."
28-year-old Jamie Tran of Riverside is accused of shooting two Jewish men in Los Angeles earlier this week. According to the criminal complaint, Tran admitted to agents that he searched 'kosher markets' on Yelp and targeted victims based on "Head gear."
"The idea of having people come walk out of a synagogue in Los Angeles, just to come and pray and be shot at for just being Jews is beyond understanding," said Rosenberg.
Executive director of Temple Isaiah's Jewish Community Center Douglas Morton agrees with Rosenberg.
"Here at Temple Isaiah, we do everything we can to be safe. We try to make sure that we check everyone when they come in so that we make sure that there's no metal, no guns. And it's really kind of a shame that we have to do all that," said Morton.
According to the complaint, on Thursday, Los Angeles Police Department found a cell phone number connected to Tran and determined he was in the Palm Springs area.
"It is scary when you know the suspect that had this track record of shooting Jews coming out of a synagogue, and now he's not very far from us," said Rosenberg.
Security at the temple was increased Thursday before Tran was arrested.
"The security alert went up incredibly. Everyone was very worried about who was coming in the door and who was in the parking lot. And everybody tried to be really conscious to make sure that we knew who was around," said Morton.
Rosenberg said the Palm Springs Police Department stayed at the temple thursday until the suspect was arrested.
"I can't say enough for the Palm Springs Police Department and how they cared about us and really protected us," said Rosenberg.
Later that same evening, Cathedral City Police Department got a call about a man who discharged a firearm. That man turned out to be Tran. CCPD arrested Tran off East Palm Canyon Road near the Canyon Plaza Shopping Center.
"It didn't take very long. There was no struggle. But once we realized who he was, we secured him in a car. And then we made contact with the Los Angeles Police Department, who eventually sent over some representatives," said CCPD commander Jon Enos.
Rosenberg is now making a call to action to all communities to stand together and support each other.
"A crime against any group, any community diminishes us all," said Rosenberg. "We're a community that is always open to people who want to come here and be part of us. And we and we will never not do that."
