Woman killed in California synagogue shooting died protecting rabbi

The woman who was killed Saturday in a shooting at a California synagogue reportedly died protecting the congregation’s rabbi. 

Lori Kaye, 60, was shot during the shooting and died Saturday at a nearby hospital. During the shooting, she stepped in front of bullets aimed atRabbi Yisroel Goldstein, Kaye’s friend Audrey Jacobs wrote in a Facebook post, according to USA Today.

{mosads}”Your final good deed was taking the bullets for Rabbi Mendel Goldstein to save his life,” Jacobs wrote in the post, according to USA Today. “Tragically the rabbi was still shot in the hand and he gave a sermon telling everyone to stay strong.”

The post was approved by the other victims in the shooting and their families, Jacobs added.

Kaye was the one person who died in Saturday’s shooting, which also left multiple people injured. 

USA Today also reported that Goldstein, the rabbi, told NBC’s “Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist” that he was a longtime friend of Kaye and that Kaye was one of the earliest supporters of the synagogue, Chabad of Poway.

He added that he was in the synagogue when he heard the gunman.

“As soon as he saw me, he started to shoot towards me and that’s when I put my hands up and my fingers got blown away,” Goldstein said. “Then he continued on and killed Lori Kaye right there on the spot.”

Goldstein also said that his congregation would stand strong following the shooting, which is being investigated as a hate crime. 

“We will not be intimidated or deterred by terror by this terror,” he said. “Terror will not win.”

A 19-year-old suspect has been identified and charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree attempted murder, according to San Diego authorities.