Not Even A Church is Safe

[cbp210]

Police look for gunman who wounded two in synagogue shooting
By Solvej Schou


Associated Press

Posted: 10/30/2009 0641 AM PDT
Updated: 10/30/2009 0642 AM PDT


Police today pressed forward with their hunt for a gunman, a day after he wounded two men in the parking garage of a Los Angeles synagogue.

Mori Ben-Nissan, 38, and Allen Lasry, 53, were shot in the legs in the parking garage underneath the Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic Orthodox synagogue in North Hollywood as they arrived for Thursday's morning service.

Both were hospitalized in good condition following the attack, which police say took place in a stairwell leading up to the synagogue sanctuary. Frightened worshippers heard gunshots and screams before the bleeding victims stumbled in.

The gunman fled on foot and police briefly held a teenager who matched a vague description of the attacker. But they released the 17-year-old a short time later and continued their search for the assailant.

A motive for the attack remained unclear and city leaders moved to calm fears the attack was part of any organized anti-Semitic violence. Still, police beefed up patrols of Jewish communities as part of a citywide alert before saying the attack appeared to be isolated.

The victims, who were hospitalized in good condition, told police the attacker did not speak or take anything from them.

Initial security camera footage from the synagogue shows the suspect but not the shooting, and the quality is too poor for investigators to identify the man, Cmdr. Jorge Villegas said, but detectives later found more security cameras at the synagogue

and were reviewing those tapes.

Police said a slew of possible motives was being considered, including attempted robbery or a personal business dispute.

LAPD First Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell said investigators were trying to determine whether a similar suspect might have been involved in robberies or other crimes in the area.

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."

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[JustInCase]

that would never happen here in Arkansas... guns are not allowed in churches...

[gottabkiddin]

I have no faith in a crooks sense of what's off limits, so I'm always armed. I hope they catch the loser or better yet, I hope his next target if there is one, turns out to be a CC holder and he/she sends the dirtbag to **ll where he belongs.

[cbp210]

that would never happen here in Arkansas... guns are not allowed in churches...

That is the problem because the bag guys know this.

[PastorPack]

Yikes! My Father-In-Law is an Orthodox Jew and he lives near this scene.

Just got off the phone with his wife and they are now wavering on whether it was a hate crime or just crime in general.

I sure hope they catch these guys!

[Lewis128]

That is the problem because the bag guys know this.

I think sarcasm was implied.

I've always wondered why people spend so much money in survelience cameras but skimp on recording quality. Don't they check that?
Resolution should be good enough to make out facial features or read the logo on a ball cap.
Most of the footage I've seen on TV is so grainy you can barely tell the color of the BG's ball cap much less read the logo.

[cbp210]

Yikes! My Father-In-Law is an Orthodox Jew and he lives near this scene.

Just got off the phone with his wife and they are now wavering on whether it was a hate crime or just crime in general.

I sure hope they catch these guys!

Tell him to stay safe and keep low. What type of elements are targeting the Jewish people in that area?

[PastorPack]

Tell him to stay safe and keep low. What type of elements are targeting the Jewish people in that area?

I'd hate to speculate, there's just not enough info yet.

This could be anything from gangbangers just wanting to score some money

all the way to people specifically targeting the victims due to their religion. Lots of options there... anything from muslim sympathizers to skinheads.

It does not help that Orthodox Jews (at least in the U.S.) tend to be pretty pacifistic. My FIL doesn't even lock his car doors when driving through LA (Come on, most of LA is a war zone). In other words, the ultimate soft target.

[cbp210]

It does not help that Orthodox Jews (at least in the U.S.) tend to be pretty pacifistic. My FIL doesn't even lock his car doors when driving through LA (Come on, most of LA is a war zone).

I know