Florida Man Indicted for Allegedly Plotting Mass Shooting Targeting Jews
A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida has indicted 27-year-old Forrest Kendall Pemberton of Gainesville on federal hate crime and firearm charges for allegedly attempting to carry out a mass shooting targeting Jewish victims because of their race and religion.
According to court records, Pemberton armed himself with an AR-15-style rifle fitted with a silencer and traveled to the office of a nonprofit organization that lobbies the U.S. government in support of Israel. Prosecutors allege that on Dec. 23, 2024, he attempted to carry out a mass shooting targeting the organization’s employees because they were Jewish.
Pemberton faces charges of attempted hate crime, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a short-barreled rifle. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison on the attempted hate crime charge, a mandatory consecutive sentence of up to 30 years on the firearm charge, and up to five years on the weapons possession charge.
