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FBI looking for man who brought pistol to San Francisco synagogue, fired apparent blanks

By Emily Shapiro, ABC News Feb 3, 2023 | 9:00 AM
FBI San Francisco

(SAN FRANCISCO) — The FBI said it’s looking for a man who walked into a San Francisco synagogue with a pistol and fired several rounds, believed to be blanks.

No one was injured and no damage was reported during the Wednesday evening incident at the Schneerson Jewish Center, the San Francisco Police Department said.

The man walked into the synagogue during a gathering and around 7:20 p.m. he “made a verbal statement, pulled out a firearm, and shot several times,” police said.

The suspect then fled the scene, police said.

News of the shooting left Rabbi Alon Chanukov in shock and disbelief, he told ABC News.

“I couldn’t even imagine something like that happening,” he said.

Chanukov wasn’t at the synagogue at the time. He said he was terrified thinking about if his kids happened to be there.

He said the synagogue will have a police presence this weekend and he urged the local Jewish community to not be scared.

“Don’t let this person win,” he said. “Come to synagogue, especially this week.”

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