A gunman opened fire in a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday morning, killing 11 people and injuring six others, including four police officers, before being taken into custody, authorities said.
Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said police were dispatched to Tree of Life Synagogue at 9:55 a.m. after receiving calls that there was an active-shooter situation at the scene, in the city’s predominantly Jewish Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
In all, he confirmed, 11 people died, though none of them were children. As for the injury tally, he said it did not include the shooter, who was taken to the hospital after being taken into custody.
Multiple law enforcement officials identified the suspect in the shooting as Robert Bowers, 48.
Police Chief Scott Schubert said that two police officers were hit during initial contact with the shooter and that two SWAT team members were also struck “during an engagement inside the building.” He confirmed that all four law enforcement officials are in stable condition.
“By the time I got there they were already starting to extract people and watching those officers running to the danger to remove people and get them to safety was unbelievable,” Schubert added.
As officials searched for a motive for the brazen attack, which took place on Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, distubing details emerged. Earlier, Hissrich said the episode fell under the category of a hate crime, and would receive a federal investigation.
Indeed, the gunman is said to have shouted that “all Jews must die” as he sprayed bullets indiscriminantly, according to KDKA-TV. – READ MORE