Synagogue shooter pleads not guilty; prosecutors say he struggled with gun, fled

Synagogue shooter pleads not guilty; prosecutors say he struggled with gun, fled with 50 bullets In his first court appearance, John T. Earnest pleads not guilty to the murder of Lori Kaye and attempted murder of the three who were injured. By Associated Press After a 19-year-old gunman fired at least eight rounds into a California synagogue, he stopped to fumble with his semiautomatic rifle, and then fled with 50 unused bullets, prosecutors said Tuesday. In his first court appearance, John T. Earnest pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder in the shooting that killed a worshipper and injured three others at the Chabad of Poway synagogue on the last day of Passover. He also pleaded not guilty to burning a mosque last month in nearby Escondido. The district attorney, who vowed to avoid identifying Earnest by name, said the defendant expressed his “intent to harm Jews” in an online posting. He also acknowledged using gasoline to spark a blaze that charred a wall of the Escondido mosque and scrawling graffiti praising the gunman who killed 50 people at two New Zealand mosques last month, Stephan said. READ MORE https://worldisraelnews.com/synagogue-shooter-pleads-not-guilty-prosecutors-say-he-struggled-with-gun-fled-with-50-bullets/