Furrow, left, allegedly confessed to killing Ileto, upper right, after the attack at the now heavily guarded community center VIDEO CNN's Greg LaMotte provides a police eye view of the shooting scene Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Greg LaMotte reports on the latest developments in the case Windows Media 28K 80K  ALSO: Fourth of five shooting victims out of hospital Clinton, Jewish leaders discuss fight against hate crimes Mass shootings, talk of gun control trigger rise in gun sales Furrow had deep roots in hate groups Is heavy coverage of mass shootings media overkill? MESSAGE BOARDS: Mass shootings INTERACTIVE: The hunt for the community center gunman Gunfire shatters another U.S. community

August 13, 1999
Web posted at: 10:01 p.m. EDT (0201 GMT)

In this story: Furrow took medication for mental condition Deadly gun traced to police Child victims 'got in the way' Furrow in court: 'They all like me' 'My brother is gone' Las Vegas cab ride cost $800 RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Authorities found a map with three prominent Jewish institutions circled on it on the same day Buford Furrow allegedly opened fire on a Los Angeles area Jewish community center, the founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center said Friday.

"We were told by the FBI that we had been a prime target for this attack," Rabbi Marvin Hier said at a news conference.

Hier said that along with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the University of Judaism and the Skirball Cultural Center were also marked on the map, which is now part of the evidence into the investigation of Tuesday's shooting.

The rabbi said he had been instructed to keep the information confidential at the time because Furrow, a white separatist, was still a fugitive. Hier did not say where the map was found.

Furrow found security too tight at those institutions and stumbled upon the North Valley Community Jewish Center in suburban Grenada Hills after pulling off a freeway for gas, a law enforcement source told The Los Angeles Times.

Furrow said he wanted the attack to be "a wake-up call to America to kill Jews," an FBI source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Following the shooting at the center, in which five people were shot, including three young children, the Weisenthal Center heightened its security by adding more guards and metal detectors.

Hier said those steps were taken "because of our concern that Furrow may have received assistance from others."

Furrow took medication for mental condition

In another development, Dan Donohoe, of the King County prosecutor's office in Seattle, Washington, where Furrow pleaded guilty in May to threatening two nurses with a knife at a psychiatric hospital, said the court ordered Furrow not "to stop taking medications, and the medication was for treating his mental condition."

Donohue declined to elaborate.

"Under Washington state law, mental health commitment and treatment records are confidential," Donohoe said.

Deadly gun traced to police

A small-town Washington state police department was the original owner of a pistol allegedly used by Furrow to kill a Los Angeles postal carrier following the Jewish center shooting, authorities said Friday.

Gary Eisenhower, chief of police in Cosmopolis, Washington, confirmed that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms had tracked the 9 mm Glock semiautomatic pistol to his five-person department, which traded it to a local gun shop in 1996.

Eisenhower, a self-described "gun enthusiast" in the town of 1,600 near the Pacific Coast port city of Aberdeen, said he was stunned by the news that the gun ended up in the hands of Furrow.

"We're just devastated," Eisenhower said. "This is not something that we'd like to have notoriety for."

Child victims 'got in the way'

Furrow told investigators he did not intend to shoot three children at the community center, but that they "got in the way" as he aimed for a teen-ager and an adult, federal authorities said.

The account, based on an alleged confession by Furrow, 37, came after Los Angeles County prosecutors on Thursday charged him with murder and five counts of attempted murder -- all filed as hate crimes -- in connection with Tuesday's shootings.

U.S. prosecutors had already charged Furrow in the slaying of Filipino-American postal worker Joseph Ileto, 39. The murder charges could bring the death penalty.

Furrow in court: 'They all like me'

After the charges were announced, Furrow, handcuffed and shackled, was led into federal court for arraignment. Looking around at the crowd -- mostly reporters -- he smiled and told his public defender, "They all like me."

Chief Magistrate Judge Carolyn Turchin refused bail for Furrow, who has a history of mental problems and ties to hate groups in the Northwest.

Furrow told investigators he saw Ileto next to his postal van and asked if Ileto would mail a letter. When he agreed, Furrow allegedly pulled out a gun and shot him twice. Ileto tried to run, and Furrow said he shot him in the back until Ileto fell to the ground. The postal worker was shot nine times in the chest and back of the head.

'My brother is gone'

Furrow told investigators that Ileto was a good "target of opportunity" to kill because he was "non-white and worked for the federal government," said U.S. Attorney Alejandro Mayorkas.

Mayorkas said he could not yet say if federal civil rights charges will be brought against Furrow.

"I cannot comment specifically on what the intended charges are going to be, but Mr. Furrow has confessed to a racial motive to the slaying," he said.

Responding to revelations of a possible motive in her brother's murder, Rachel Ileto told CNN: "The point is my brother is gone, and there's nothing to bring him back. So it really wouldn't matter if it was a racial thing or not."

Ileto was gunned down Tuesday in a quiet Los Angeles suburb about an hour after the shootings at the Jewish community center.

The wounded include Isabelle Shalometh, 68, a receptionist; counselor Mindy Finkelstein, 16; Joshua Stepakoff and James Zidell -- both 6 -- and 5-year-old Benjamin Kadish.

Stepakoff was released from the hospital Friday afternoon. He is the fourth of the five shooting victims to go home.

Kadish, the most seriously wounded, was shot twice and remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition Friday.

Las Vegas cab ride cost $800

Garibyan was paid $800 by Furrow for the taxi ride from California to Las Vegas

After the shootings, Furrow fled in a taxi to Las Vegas, spent the night in a hotel and surrendered to the FBI.

Furrow, who waived extradition, was returned to Los Angeles aboard a U.S. Customs helicopter.

Hovik Garibyan, the taxi driver who drove Furrow from California, said the suspect paid him $800 for the ride. Furrow first asked to go to Los Angeles International Airport, then changed his mind, Garibyan said.

"He just paid me, and he fell asleep," Garibyan said. "He laid down in the back seat."

There was little conversation en route, but Furrow asked Garibyan where he was from. "Armenia," the 31-year-old taxi driver replied.

A relieved Garibyan told reporters he is glad to be alive.

Furrow stayed in a hotel in the Santa Clarita area near Los Angeles for two nights before the shootings, the Times reported Friday.

After allegedly abandoning a carjacked Toyota following the shootings, he got a haircut, bought a new shirt and took a taxi to Hollywood where he searched unsuccessfully for a prostitute, the police source said.

Furrow then had several beers before flagging down Garibyan, the newspaper reported.

Correspondent Greg LaMotte, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.