Gunman told 911 'I just shot up a synagogue' after attack

SAN DIEGO (AP) — As the 19-year-old college student sped away in his 2012 Honda Civic, he dialed 911 and said: "I just shot up a synagogue."

He told the dispatcher that he thought he had killed some people and that he did it "because Jewish people are destroying the white race."

The chilling account in a federal affidavit unsealed Thursday was the most detailed yet of a gunman's attack on a Southern California synagogue that killed a woman and wounded three others during Passover service last month in the San Diego suburb of Poway.

It describes a deeply disturbed man filled with hatred who claimed to be inspired by the attacks on the mosques in New Zealand and the shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue last fall.

The Department of Justice filed 109 hate crime and other charges against the suspect, John T. Earnest, who could face the death penalty. The federal charges include murder for the killing of 60-year-old Lori Kaye, who was hit twice as she prayed in the foyer of the synagogue. It also includes charges for the attempted murder of 53 others.

In a court appearance last month, Earnest pleaded not guilty to state charges of murder and attempted murder and in a separate case to an arson charge tied to a mosque fire.

During the 911 call, Earnest said he killed because he was "trying to defend my nation from the Jewish people ... They're destroying our people," according to the affidavit.

He then told the dispatcher where he was at, that he would surrender to authorities and leave his semi-automatic rifle in the car. He also said he was wearing a chest rig with additional ammunition, which the dispatcher asked him to remove.

Shortly after that, police arrested Earnest.

Police would later learn it was not the first attack on a house of worship by the suspect,...