US Man Charged With 113 Counts Over Synagogue Shooting, Mosque Fire - Justice Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd May, 2019) A US Federal court charged a California man with 113 counts including hate crimes in connection to the fatal Poway Synagogue shooting and arson of the Escondido Mosque, the Department of Justice said in a press release.

"A federal grand jury sitting in the US District Court for the Southern District of California charged a California man with federal hate crimes and additional firearms offenses, including the murder of one person and the attempted murder of 53 others, for his actions during the April 27 shooting at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue in California and the March 24 arson of the Dar-ul-Arqam Mosque in Escondido," the release said on Tuesday.

John Earnest, 19, faces the death penalty or a life sentence in prison without parole, the release said.

Earnest opened fire inside the synagogue during a religious service, killing one person and injuring three others and was then chased by members of the congregation as he fled.

Earnest fled the scene of the shootings in his car but was later captured by law enforcement officers who discovered the AR-15 automatic rifle and magazines of ammunition in his car.