Ex-dental student sentenced for hate crime shootings

A former dental school student in California who pleaded guilty to attempting to shoot to death two Jewish men as they were leaving services at synagogues has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Jaime Tran, 30, who attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry, was sentenced to 35 years in prison. In June, Tran formally pleaded guilty to two counts of hate crimes with the intent to kill and two counts of using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Tran has been in jail since his arrest in February 2023, according to a DOJ press release dated September 30 from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

Years before the shooting, Tran reportedly obsessed over his antisemitic hatred and made violent threats toward people who were Jewish. In 2018, Tran left UCLA after making antisemitic comments about other students he thought were Jewish.

Between August and December 2022, Tran's antisemitic rants escalated and became increasingly violent. Tran purportedly repeatedly called and texted one former UCLA dental classmate with the messages "I want you dead, Jew," "Someone is going to kill you, Jew," and "Burn in an oven chamber." Also, he maintained social media accounts with the screen name k1llalljew, according to the release.

In November 2022, Tran emailed a flyer containing antisemitic propaganda, including the statement "EVERY SINGLE ASPECT OF THE COVID AGENDA IS JEWISH," to two dozen former classmates. In December 2022, Tran emailed his ex-classmates excerpts from a website in which Jewish people were described as "primitive" and having "thick skulls."

Tran was prohibited from legally purchasing firearms. However, while Tran was in Phoenix in January 2023, he purportedly asked a third party to buy two firearms for him. Tran selected the firearms and paid approximately $1,500 to the third party who then purchased them, according to the release.

On February 15, 2023, Tran purportedly searched online for kosher markets. He allegedly planned to shoot someone near a kosher market because he believed a person shopping in that area would be Jewish.

Later, Tran drove to Pico-Robertson and shot a Jewish man wearing a yarmulke as he left religious services at a synagogue. Tran reportedly shot the man at close range in the back, intending to kill him. After the shooting, he reportedly fled the scene in his car, according to the release.

On February 16, 2023, Tran purportedly returned to the same area with the intention of killing another Jewish person. Tran shot a second Jewish man wearing a yarmulke as he left a synagogue. Again, Tran allegedly shot the man at close range to try and kill him. Both men survived the shootings, according to the release.

On February 17, 2023, Tran was arrested after a witness reported seeing a man, who turned out to be Tran, shooting a firearm behind a motel. When he was arrested, Tran told police he was "practicing" with his assault weapon.

In the prosecution's sentencing position to the court, it argued that "[h]ad defendant not been caught the night of his second shooting, his campaign of terror would likely have continued," according to the release.