Jamie Tran, 28, has been charged with hate crimes for allegedly shooting two Jewish men on separate occasions, ABC News reports.
According to KTLA, the shootings occurred on Wednesday and Thursday of this week within 24 hours. Tran is alleged to have shot the victims at two synagogues in the Pico Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Authorities say Tran shot each of the two men at close range as they were leaving the synagogue, ABC News reports. He was arrested by police on Thursday.
“The complaint alleges that Tran, motivated by hate, targeted the two victims because they were Jewish, or he believes them to be Jewish,” Martin Estrada, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said during a press briefing Friday, according to ABC News.
Court documents say that both of the victims were wearing traditional clothing and could be identified as Orthodox Jewish, KTLA reports. They also say that Tran had a history of making anti-semitic comments.
City officials say they will do all they can to address hate crimes.
“My administration is resolute against hate, and we have made it a chief component of our public safety agenda,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, according to KTLA. “I know that the LAPD and the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office share in that mission. And so today we’re not just here to stand in solidarity around this week’s shootings, we are here with locked arms against all forms of hate and bigotry and discrimination.”
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