PITTSBURGH: A man opened fire at the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in Pittsburgh Saturday morning, killing 11 people and wounding six others.
The suspect identified by AP as Robert Bowers, 46, surrendered after a firefight with police. Bowers appears to have made several anti-Semitic comments on social media.
The gunman opened fire around 10 a.m. at the Tree of Life Synagogue in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Squirrel Hill, just east of downtown Pittsburgh, is the hub of the city’s Jewish community.
The FBI said Bowers is being charged with 29 federal counts regarding “federal crimes of violence and firearms offenses.
President Trump has ordered flags flown at half-staff at federal buildings in “solemn respect” for the synagogue shooting victims.In the proclamation, Trump called for the flags to be lowered until Oct. 31.
The four wounded police officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.Leaders in the United States and across the world condemned the attack.
Hours after the tragedy, thousands of people jammed an intersection in the city’s Jewish neighborhood amid a light rain for a vigil Saturday evening for the victims of a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue earlier in the day.
The gathering included prayers and singing in memory of those killed and wounded.Israel is expressing its shock and concern and offering assistance to the community following the shooting.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said he was “heartbroken and appalled” and that the “the entire people of Israel grieve with the families of the dead.”