Synagogue had just gotten money to boost security

A gunman fired his semi-automatic rifle at Jewish worshipers after walking through a Southern California synagogue’s open front door, a spot that synagogue leaders determined last year needed improved security.

The Chabad of Poway synagogue applied for a federal grant to install gates and more secure doors to better protect that area. The $150,000 was approved in September but only got awarded in late March.

“Obviously, we did not have a chance to start using the funds yet,” Rabbi Simcha Backman told The Associated Press.

The shooter killed a woman and wounded an 8-year-old girl, her uncle and Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who was leading the service on the last day of Passover, a major Jewish holiday.