The white supremacist shot dead by police in Massachusetts on Saturday after he murdered two African American bystanders was allegedly heading for a local synagogue in his stolen truck, witnesses have said.

Sandra Pellegrino — president of Temple Tifereth Israel in Winthrop, Mass. — told her local CBS News affiliate on Wednesday that the consequences could have been disastrous had the gunman, 28-year-old Nathan Allen, reached his target.

“We were here in the morning,” she said. “Some of us would have still been in this building.”

Pellegrino added: “It’s just beyond my comprehension how anyone would have wasted energy to have such hate.”

The synagogue is planning to hold a community gathering to reassure the shocked local community. “It’s very hard for us to deal with as a temple, that because of his idea of coming here filled with hate, that he took it out on the two people,” Pellegrino said.

“While we await further investigation from law enforcement, the reports of this synagogue being an alleged target are deeply disturbing,” said Evan Bernstein, National Director and CEO of the Community Security Service, a nonprofit which works to protect Jewish institutions. 

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families,” Bernstein told The Algemeiner. “With the current climate, Jewish communal leadership — not only in the Boston metro area but across the country — must continue to prioritize security.”

Allen, who was married and had no past criminal record, stole a plumber’s truck from a garage in Winthrop which he then crashed into an unoccupied home, causing extensive damage.