Saturday marks a somber anniversary in the history of San Diego County. Five years ago, a man opened fire inside the Chabad of Poway, killing one person and injuring three others.
It was the final day of Passover when 60-year-old parishioner Lori Gilbert Kaye was shot in the synagogue's lobby and died of her injuries. The congregation's rabbi, Yisroel Goldstein, was shot in the hand, while two others — 34-year-old Almog Peretz and his 8-year-old niece, Noya Dahan — were also hurt.
Previous coverage:
U.S. Border Patrol agent Jonathan Morales was off-duty but happened to be there attending services. When he heard gunshots, he said he ran to help.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
"Everything happened really fast, so I didn't have time to think, you know, 'What should I do?' It was just kind of natural instinct to jump into action," Jonathan Morales told NBC 7 in January of 2020. "It was my duty to protect everyone there and, you know, minimize the injuries and casualties."
Morales ran towards the shooter with a revolver. As the gunman ran towards his getaway car and sped off, Morales kept firing and hit the car. The shooter was not hit but was arrested a short time later.
The border patrol agent was honored as the 2019 Police Officer of the Year for his response to the shooting. He was the first border patrol agent to receive the honor.
The gunman is now serving a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole.
