Who Is John T. Earnest? Suspect in Poway Synagogue Shooting - NBC 7 San Diego

Who Is John T. Earnest? Suspect in Poway Synagogue Shooting

Who is John T. Earnest, the suspect identified as being responsible for the deadly shooting at a synagogue in Poway, California.

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    NEWSLETTERS

    Man Detained Following Poway Synagogue Shooting

    (Published Saturday, April 27, 2019)

    This story has been updated and is still developing.

    San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore confirmed that the suspect in the Poway synagogue shooting is 19-year-old John T. Earnest from San Diego.

    According to a manifesto, published online shortly after 10 a.m. PST on Saturday, Earnest also takes responsibility for an Escondido Mosque arson a month prior. During that incident, Earnest spray-painted messages referencing the New Zealand mosque shooting.

    The synagogue shooting and the mosque arson were less than 9 miles apart.

    At a news conference, Gore said detectives are currently investigating whether Earnest is the suspect in that case. 

    In the manifesto, Earnest states he was attending nursing school but did not specify the exact location. On 8chan, a far-right message board website, a user identified as Earnest said he planned to livestream the shooting on Facebook but the Facebook account he linked to has since been deactivated. 

    Filled with racist rants and quotes from the Bible, Earnest praises the suspects responsible for the New Zealand mosque and Pittsburgh synagogue shootings and adds they were his inspiration for the planned shooting in Poway.