Gunman who wounded 2 Jewish men in pair of shootings outside Los Angeles synagogues gets 35 years in prison

A man who shot two Jewish men outside a pair of Los Angeles synagogues last year was sentenced Monday to 35 years in prison, federal prosecutors said. 

Jaime Tran, 30, pleaded guilty on June 3 to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two counts of using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, the Justice Department said. 

"After years of spewing antisemitic vitriol, the defendant planned and carried out a two-day attack attempting to murder Jews leaving synagogue in Los Angeles," said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. "Vile acts of antisemitic hatred endanger the safety of individuals and entire communities, and allowing such crimes to go unchecked endangers the foundation of our democracy itself."

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Tran was accused of shooting both men at close range from moving cars as they were leaving religious services at synagogues in Los Angeles' Pico-Robertson neighborhood, which is predominantly Jewish. 

He told investigators that he looked for a "kosher market" and decided to shoot someone nearby because he believed there would be Jewish people around the area. 

On Feb. 15, 2023, he shot a man wearing a yarmulke as he was leaving religious services at a synagogue before fleeing in his car. The next morning, he shot a second Jewish victim, also wearing a yarmulke, as he was leaving a synagogue. 

Tran was arrested a day later after a witness reported seeing someone shooting a firearm behind a motel. He told investigators that the shootings would have continued had he not been arrested, prosecutors said. 

The shooting raised fears among the city's Jewish community after authorities said the victims were targeted because of their religious clothing. 

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At the time, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the "terror" of the two shootings was "felt all across Los Angeles." She noted that antisemitism was on the rise in L.A. and across the country, saying fighting hate crimes "in all forms" is a priority in her administration.

In a statement, the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles said it "appreciates today’s sentencing" of Tran while thanking law enforcement and prosecutors. 

Prosecutors said Tran became obsessed over his "antisemitic hatred" for years leading up to the February 2023 attacks. 

In 2018, Tran left graduate school after making antisemitic comments about other students. From August 2022 to December 2022, his antisemitic statements included messages to former classmates such as "I want you dead, Jew," and "Someone is going to kill you, Jew." Tran described himself as a "ticking time bomb" and maintained social media accounts with the handle "k1llalljews."

In November 2022, Tran emailed two dozen former classmates a flyer that stated "EVERY SINGLE ASPECT OF THE COVID AGENDA IS JEWISH." 

Tran was prohibited from purchasing firearms because of previous mental health holds, authorities said. In January 2023, Tran asked someone in Phoenix to buy two firearms for him. 

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Tran selected the firearms he wanted and paid approximately $1,500 in cash to the third party, who then purchased them. 

Law enforcement identified the person, who has now pleaded guilty to illegally selling Tran the firearm used in the shootings. Messages retrieved from his phone revealed that Tran had asked multiple people to purchase firearms for him and had offered to pay more if no background check was performed, prosecutors said. 

Fox News Digital's Brie Stimson contributed to this report.