Oct 29, 2009 3:20 pm US/Pacific
Gunman Still At Large In NoHo Synagogue Shooting
Police Seek Suspects In Attack Near Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic Synagogue
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) ―
-
-
A shooting oustide Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic synagogue in North Hollywood left two people injured on Oct. 29, 2009.
CBS
Los Angeles police said a 17-year-old high school student was no longer a suspect in the wounding of two men who were shot in the legs as they arrived at a North Hollywood synagogue.
Police had detained the teenager near the temple on Thursday morning because he matched a loose description of the attacker, who was described as a black man wearing a hoodie.
Police Detective Steve Castro said the student had no connection to the shooting that took place Thursday in the parking garage near the Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic Orthodox synagogue.
He said police were investigating leads and a motive for the attack. They planned to go door-to-door seeking witnesses in the area and were studying images caught on a security tape, which showed the suspect but not the shooting, Cmdr. Jorge Villegas said.
The two men, who were both members of the synagogue, were shot in the legs near the temple in the San Fernando Valley, Deputy Police Chief Michel Moore said. They had reportedly arrived in separate cars for the morning service shortly before 6:30 a.m. and were in a stairwell leading up to the synagogue sanctuary when the gunman shot them several times, police said.
Castro identified the victims as 38-year-old Mori Ben-Nissan and 53-year-old Allen Lasry. Ben-Nissan was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills and Lasry was transported to Valley Presbyterian in Van Nuys. Both were listed in good condition.
An alert that sent extra police patrols to local Jewish schools and synagogues was called off and a weapon was not recovered at the scene.
Even as investigators tried to find a motive, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other officials moved to calm fears that the attack was part of any organized anti-Semitic violence.
"We certainly recognize the location and we're sensitive to that," Moore said. "But we do not know that this was a hate crime at all."
The Anti-Defamation League expressed concern about the shooting and issued the following statement:
"While we have not confirmed the motive behind this horrendous act, we obviously take a shooting at a synagogue very seriously and ask for the community to contact LAPD or ADL with any information," said Amanda Susskind, Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League.
"We commend the Los Angeles Police Department for immediately committing resources to vigorously investigate this crime and for their continuing commitment to the protection of all religious institutions," Susskind said.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Stars Rock The Grammys
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments