A 23-year-old man was arrested after firing 20 bullets from a passing car at the home of a Jewish family in the city of Redlands, California, two days before the start of Hanukkah last month. During the shooting, the suspect shouted antisemitic slogans. The family, originally from New Zealand, said that following the incident, it has decided to leave the United States and return to its home country out of concern for its safety.
The incident occurred on December 12 in the evening hours. Jonpaul Yohanan Cohen was outside the house with his parents, sister, brother and grandmother when a car drove by shortly before 8 p.m. local time. Security camera footage shows the driver firing several shots at the house and fleeing while shouting, “f*** the Jews.”
The drive-by shooting
Although additional family members were inside the home at the time, no one was injured. Police believe the house was targeted because of Hanukkah decorations displayed outside.
The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Garrett Bailey Stater, was arrested on Thursday morning and questioned on suspicion of committing a hate crime. Redlands police said an airsoft gun believed to have been used in the incident was found in his possession. Stetter was charged with terrorist activity and making terrorist threats. Two additional suspects were detained for questioning and later released.
Following the shooting, the Cohen family made what they described as a “very difficult” decision to leave the United States. Yohanan Cohen’s father, a New Zealand citizen, raised his children in Wellington. The family moved to California in 2017 for academic work.
In an interview with local media, Cohen said the family had reached a “red line.” “We have already been attacked in the past. There were incidents, but the temperature around racial hatred in America is simply rising,” he said. “I do not really want to wait for things to get worse.”
At this stage, the family is searching for housing and employment in New Zealand and is planning the move in the coming months. “Our main priority right now is to get out,” Cohen said. “At least in New Zealand we feel safer, feel at home, and trust that the country has a clear direction in dealing with antisemitism, unlike many other places in the world.”