Jersey City Shooting: Authorities Update On Investigation Into Pair's Deadly Rampage
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- One month after the deadly shooting in Jersey City, federal and state officials released more information as they continue their investigation.
Federal and local law enforcement confirmed Monday the shooting that left a Jersey City police detective and three other innocent people dead was a hate crime and an act of domestic terror. Authorities said the two shooters had plans for more attacks.
Federal and local law enforcement said they've collected undeniable evidence that solidifies the motive behind the shootings. U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said suspects David Anderson and Francine Graham had been planning the attack on the kosher grocery store on Martin Luther King Drive for months, buying five guns in Ohio back in March 2018 and practicing at a firing range there in December. Carpenito said they loaded up a huge cache of weapons and explosives in a rented U-Haul they'd live and travel in.
Investigators also collected surveillance video of Anderson and Graham casing the grocery store before the shooting, as well as their Google searches, notes and social media posts.
"He referred to the Jewish community as wicked Israelites who love darkness as cover for their wickedness. We were able to recover telephones related to both Anderson and Graham. On those phones, we found Google searches for a Jewish community center in Bayonne, N.J.," Carpenito said.
Prosecutors laid out a list of items found in the stolen van Anderson and Graham drove on the day of the rampage, including a shopping list for tactical items, notes on how to shoot rifles long distances, a viable explosive device and enough explosives to build a second bomb, CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported.
"The fragmentation area was five football fields. So it could have, if it exploded in the right place, it could've certainly injured and killed people up to five football fields away," FBI Special Agent In Charge Gregory W. Ehrie said.
Investigators also found a bible with blood from the victim of another shooting they're alleged to be involved in.
"This was nothing but a senseless, evil, cowardly act of antisemitism and hatred towards not just the Jewish community but also law enforcement. Anderson and Graham both targeted Jewish victims and law enforcement, and we know now that they planned greater acts of mayhem against both communities," Carpenito said.
The U.S. attorney's office said it is confident Anderson and Graham worked alone and had no co-conspirators.
Unfortunately, prosecutors said we may never know all the details. Nevertheless, the investigation will continue.
JERSEY CITY SHOOTING
- Funeral Held For Det. Joseph Seals, Killed Confronting Suspects In Cemetery
- Third Suspect Linked To Shooters Appears In Court On Weapons Charges
- Mayor Steven Fulop Plans To Build Community Bridges In Wake Of Deadly Shootout
- Jersey City Shooters Believed To Be Prime Suspects In Murder Of Local Livery Driver
- Anti-Defamation League Talks Of Fear Gripping Jewish Community
- CBS2 Journalists Recount Being In Harm's Way
- Watch: Barrage Of Gunfire Heard In Jersey City As Police Move On Suspects
- Photos: Scenes From Jersey City's Deadly Shootout
- More…
