San Diego, CA – The parents of a 19-year-old college student suspected of attacking a Southern California synagogue said Monday that they are shocked and saddened that “he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries.”
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John T. Earnest’s parents said they raised him and his five siblings in a family, faith and community that rejected hate.
“Our son’s actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold,” the parents said in a statement, which didn’t include their names.
A gunman on Saturday burst into the Chabad of Poway near San Diego on the last day of Passover, a major Jewish holiday that celebrates freedom, and opened fire with an assault-style rifle, killing a woman and wounding a rabbi and two others.
“How our son was attracted to such darkness is a terrifying mystery to us, though we are confident that law enforcement will uncover many details of the path that he took to this evil and despicable act,” the statement said.
Earnest’s parents, who are cooperating with investigators, said their sadness “pales in comparison to the grief and anguish our son has caused for so many innocent people.”
Earll Pott, a family attorney who issued the statement, said the parents will not provide a legal defense for their son, who will likely be represented by a public defender. They asked for privacy and do not plan to make additional comments until the criminal case is resolved.
Full statement below:
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible attack on the Chabad of Poway synagogue. But our sadness pales in comparison to the grief and anguish our son has caused for so many innocent people.
He has killed and injured the faithful who were gathered in a sacred place on a sacred day. To our great shame, he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries.
Our son’s actions were informed by people we do not know, and ideas we do not hold. Like our other five children, he was raised in a family, a faith, and a community that all rejected hate and taught that love must be the motive for everything we do.
How our son was attracted to such darkness is a terrifying mystery to us, though we are confident that law enforcement will uncover many details of the path that he took to this evil and despicable act.
To that end, our family is cooperating with investigators. We ask only that the media and the public respect our privacy and allow the criminal justice system to work.
Our heavy hearts will forever go out to the victims and survivors. Our thanks go to the first responders who prevented even greater loss of life and the well-wishers who have supported us. And we pray for peace.”
Let me respond to that statement by stating “BS”. I can’t believe that the family didn’t know what their son was up to, or that he had access to an AR-15 rifle.
Don’t show picture. We don’t want to see the bad guys anymore
Statements #1 and #2 acomplish nothing but does spread more hate..
When will people learn that commenting negetivley especially on social media where everyone has access to will only fan stronger flames of hate?
This family put out a statement of apology and consolation, why rip them apart? Do u know them? Do you know how they raised their children? You both claim u don’t believe them, that’s fine, but why does it have to be posted which translates into an unfair accusation..
Are parents of OTD’s also at fault? Etc. Etc.
When will our heimisha fools learn already that a compliment can turn even enemies into friends and derogatory comments have the opposite effect…
Didn’t torahs hashem throughout Cheder, yeshivah, kolel teach us anything how to judge people, or the only thing we got out of yiddishkeit is how to constantly be מוחה and always be skeptical of people’s good intentions, behave like a vicious preditor towards anyone who is different then you?
How sad.. How sad it is to read comment after comment in all forms of news outlets in all sorts of stories from heimisha yidden who the Torah didn’t teach them anything..
While I accept an apology, and while Monday-Morning-Quarterbacking cannot help, I remain in doubt. We cannot know the complexity of the origins of hate and crime. Perhaps good investigation will provide some understanding, but it is often that issues are just too complex to be certain we know it all.
As for OTD kids, I disagree that they are attracted to stuff on the internet. No, the internet has lots of bad stuff. Most people are exposed to some of that, but we don’t follow it. I worked with OTD kids for many years, and have never met one that moved in that direction because of the internet. Not a single one. Rather, these kids are not running to something, they are running away from us. These children are wounded, injured, abused, and/or rejected. The massive array of options and ideas on the internet is a place they can look for an alternative to the gehinom of a pained life.
As for this shooter, he was escaping something. Maybe the investigators will learn more about what he was running from.
“he was such a good boy” – parents always say that
While it is true that there are kids in the frum community who become problems, I think that it is absolutely stupid to blame their teachers, or others in their past, while growing up. Secondly, did anyone ever hear of a Jewish kid shooting up a school, or a Shul? Please! I am not showing any sympathy for the parents. Hopefully, the bereaved family will file a wrongful death lawsuit against the individual and his parents. We will not take this lying down; we must show the goyim that if you attack us, it will come with a heavy price!
Until the hate, rhetoric, evil discourse is blocked and censored by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social networking, there will ultimately be the select few who will continually fall prey to the pitfalls of radicalization and hate via the internet and social media, unless it is eradicated at its root like it is in China by the Great Firewall, thus making Chinas citizens safe and secure from hate, and terrorist acts, in addition to prohibiting any type of firearm, weapon, or knives which can be used to hurt people. No wonder homicide, murder and general crime is statistically virtually Zero in China with a population of 1.4 billion! It’s high time to follow Chinas lead in abolishing firearms, weapons, and creating artificial intelligence to arrest and questions potential murderers, PRIOR to them carrying out despicable acts of horror against any form of the human race. If China can do it, the USA, can certainly do it!
To #19 - It is you who are the idiot! When Meir Kahane (z’l) was active with the JDL in NYC in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, he showed the goyim in NYC, that if you attack the Jews, it will come with a heavy price. His group would lie in wait for vandals at night, who sought to desecrate Shuls. Once they were caught, they would beat the h—- out of them. Unfortunately, that is the only way to deal with those scum. I regret that the shooter wasn’t subdued and beaten by the crowd in the Shul.