A Jewish man was shot just after leaving the morning prayer service in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles on Wednesday morning, according to a report by The Forward.
The victim was taken to a hospital and released later on in the day, the founder of the Jewish security service Magen Am, Rabbi Yossi Elifort, told Forward.
The shooting occurred near Shenandoah Street and Cashio avenue, around 10 a.m. Pacific Time. According to reports, the shooter, who the LAPD said is a middle-aged Asian male and drove a gray Honda, drove toward the victim and shot twice at him. Luckily, only one bullet grazed him and the other missed him.
Suspected shooter still at large
The suspected shooter is still at large, according to Los Angeles police department spokesperson Jeff Lee. Rabbi Elifort told the Jewish Journal that even though the Jewish man was wearing a yarmulke, the police don't believe that the shooting was antisemitism motivated, which Lee confirmed with The Forward that the police couldn't say whether or not the case was being treated as a hate crime.
"We are horrified by the shooting of a Jewish man leaving prayer service in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles today," the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Los Angeles Regional Director, Jeffrey I. Abrams, said in a statement. "We are grateful the victim is in stable condition. The suspect is still at large and ADL Los Angeles is closely monitoring the investigation, including LAPD's investigation. We will provide updates as we learn more."
A statement from ADL Los Angeles on the shooting in Pico-Robertson today. Read more here: https://t.co/CNC0R8aIC2 pic.twitter.com/m0nSknLO8t
— ADL Southern California (@ADLSoCal) February 15, 2023
"Our neighborhood is known for being the most populous Jewish and Jewish Orthodox neighborhood in LA and it's been the target of violence in the past," American writer, activist and social and political commentator Elad Nehorai said on his Twitter.
A shooting in my neighborhood in LA. The victim was a Jew, shot as he was leaving a synagogue. Our neighborhood is known for being the most populous Jewish and Jewish Orthodox neighborhood in LA, and it’s been the target of violence in the past. https://t.co/E6R6nBuCtK
— Elad Nehorai (@EladNehorai) February 15, 2023