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Jersey City Mayor Says Shooting Suspects Targeted Kosher Market

[additional-authors]
December 11, 2019
JERSEY CITY, NJ – DECEMBER 10: Emergency personnel are shown on the scene of a shooting that left multiple people dead on December 10, 2019 in Jersey City, New Jersey. In a raging gun battle that by some accounts lasted in excess of an hour, six people – a Jersey City police officer, three civilians and two suspects – were killed in the Tuesday afternoon standoff and shootout across the Hudson River from Manhattan, according to published reports. (Photo by Rick Loomis/Getty Images)

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop announced on Twitter that based on video footage, it appears the suspects behind the December 10 shooting were targeting JC Kosher Supermarket.

Fulop tweeted, “Last night, after extensive review of our CCTV system, it has now become clear from the cameras that these two individuals targeted the kosher grocery location on [Martin Luther King Jr. Drive].”

According to The New York Times, the shooting initially began at the Bay View Cemetery, where a police officer was shot and killed. The shooters eventually moved toward the Jersey City kosher supermarket, killing three people. Two of the victims were Hasidic Jews: 33-year-old Mindel Ferencz, the wife of the market’s owner, and 24-year-old rabbinical student Moshe Deutsch.

Both the Times and NBC News are reporting the shooting suspects – both of whom died at the scene – have been identified as David Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50. Anderson is believed to have been connected to the Black Hebrew Israelites – which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as a militant hate movement – and had anti-Semitic social media posts.

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted, “New information indicates the shooting at the kosher market was a targeted attack. We must never forget the victims. We need to stand together as a community.”

 

https://twitter.com/JGreenblattADL/status/1204780974288052224

 

The American Jewish Committee similarly tweeted, “We are horrified by the murders in Jersey City and are deeply distressed by reports the attackers may have targeted the Jewish community. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are heartened by the swift response by law enforcement and NJ officials.”

The Simon Wiesenthal Center tweeted, “One of the shooters was an #antisemite. We expect that authorities including FBI will provide answers and take steps to protect the #Jewish community from further harm.”

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