Jewish Man Shot in Pico

A Jewish man was shot in the Pico-Robertson area on February 15 after leaving a shul.

The Forward reported that the victim, 47, was shot twice while walking to his car following morning services and was hospitalized in moderate condition. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) told the Journal that the shooting occurred at the 1400 block of S. Shenandoah Street at around 9:55 a.m. Magen Am President Rabbi Yossi Eilfort told the Journal in a phone interview that the victim has since been released from the hospital and was shot about a block away from the synagogue. He added that while the victim was wearing a yarmulke at the time of the shooting, the police do not currently believe the shooter was motivated by antisemitism. Police have said that the suspect, who is currently still at large, is a middle-aged Asian male with a goatee, per Eilfort. The LAPD spokesperson told the Journal that they do not believe the shooting was gang-related.

Anti-Defamation League Los Angeles Regional Director Jeffrey I. Abrams said in a statement, “We are horrified by the shooting of a Jewish man leaving prayer service in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles today. 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

American Jewish Committee Los Angeles Regional Director Richard S. Hirschhaut told the Journal in a phone interview, “We pray for this individual’s full recovery, swift apprehension of the perpetrator of this horrific act of violence and then we have to determine, of course, whether or not there was an anti-Jewish animus that motivated the shooter.”

This is article has been updated.