Law officials in New Jersey have finally confirmed that Tuesday’s Jersey City shooting was an act of domestic terrorism against the Jewish community.
At a press conference on Thursday, several officials, including the state’s Attorney General, confirmed that shooters Francine Graham, 50, and David Anderson, 47, were motivated by anti-Semitic hate and anti-police beliefs.
The pair killed three innocent people, including two Orthodox Jews and a Jersey City police detective on Tuesday before being killed in a shoot-out with police.
“We’re investigating this as potential acts of domestic terrorism fueled by anti-Semitism and anti-police beliefs,” Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said.
According to the Daily Mail, officials revealed a list of weapons that were found at the scene and in the couple’s U-Haul van; which included an AR-15 style rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, a 9 mm Ruger, 9 mm Glock and a .22 which had a homemade silencer attached to it. It is still unclear if the weapons were legally owned or not.
Officials claim the pair had a ‘tremendous’ amount of firepower and ammunition, including a live pipe bomb inside the vehicle, along with a note which read, “I do this because my creator makes me do this, and I hate who he hates.”
Footage from a surveillance camera mounted to the store entrance showed Anderson approaching the store first, with his AR-15 ‘style’ rifle in his hand, pointing at the store right before he opened fire.
Graham could be seen hurrying behind Anderson carrying a 12-gauge shotgun. She appeared to be wearing a beanie hat and was less confident than her former lover.
Police believe the three people they killed in the store died almost immediately after the rampage began.
Officials are also said to be investigating the murder of a 34-year-old man named Michael Rumberger, who was found stuffed in the trunk of his car on December 7. Police believe Graham and Anderson were the prime suspects in his death as well.
