Eleven people are dead and several others were left wounded when a gunman walked into a Squirrel Hill synagogue and opened fire Saturday morning.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Criminal homicide charges have been filed against a man accused of killing 11 people and injuring several others inside a Squirrel Hill synagogue on Saturday.
Police say 46-year-old Robert Bowers walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue yelling anti-Semitic slurs and shooting at worshipers while three separate services were taking place.
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office has now filed charges against the alleged gunman, which include 11 counts of criminal homicide, along with six counts of attempted homicide, six counts of aggravated assault and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation.
The attack went on for about 20 minutes and the FBI is treating the shooting as a hate crime.
“Members of the Tree of Life synagogue conducting a peaceful service were brutally murdered in their place a worship by a gunman targeting them simply because of their faith,” Bob Jones, of the FBI, said.
Among the victims were a 97-year-old woman, a pair of brothers and a husband and wife. The 11 people who lost their lives have been identified as:
Investigators say Bowers was armed with an AR-15 and three handguns. All four weapons were used in the shooting.
Bowers exchanged gunfire with police before he was subdued and taken to the hospital. He has undergone surgery and is under guard at the hospital.
Four officers were among the injured. One officer was released from the hospital on Saturday and officials hope another will be released today. According to Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert, the other two officers will require further treatment.
According to court paperwork, Bowers made statements to police “that he wanted all Jews to die and also that they were committing genocide to his people.”
Police have processed Bowers’ home, but are not releasing details about what they may have found at this time.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto spoke with several officials at a press conference Sunday morning.
“Pittsburgh is a strong town, we are a resilient city. We have been knocked down and we have found ways to stand back up and we’ve always done it in one way – by working together. To the victims’ families to the victims’ friends we are here as a community of one for you. We will be here to help you through this horrific episode. We will get through this darkest day of Pittsburgh’s history by working together. Squirrel Hill is the most diverse neighborhood in all of western Pennsylvania. People choose to live there because of the diversity of the community. The Jewish community is the backbone. It is part of the fabric of Pittsburgh and we will be there in all communities to support our friends in the Jewish community,” Peduto said.
A former rabbi at the synagogue admitted he always feared something like this would happen.
“There’s a lot of anti-Semitism out there and there’s a lot of hate out there. You can just look in the news every day. It’s sobering that it’s touched our community,” Rabbi Chuck Diamond said.
President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Jeffrey Finkelstein said that he never thought that he would be at a podium delivering this news.
“I’ve seen this room a lot of times on TV and I never thought I’d be at this podium,” said Finkelstein. “This is an awful, awful period for our Jewish community and especially for the families who’ve been affected and it’s real once you hear the names.”
Finkelstein has faith that the Jewish community in Pittsburgh will recover and be strong.
“We will definitely get past this and be a strong Jewish community like we always been,” said Finkelstein.
Investigators say it appears that Bowers acted alone.
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