 A tragedy occurred in Pittsburg on Saturday, October 27th, and killed 11 people attending the Tree Of Life synagogue and injured several police officers. Shots started firing at around 10 a.m during a baby naming ceremony. The suspect is now in custody. Those killed were Irving Younger, Melvin Wax, Rose Mallinger, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Jerry Rabinowite, Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Daniel Stein, Cecil Rosenthal, and David Rosenthal. Officials are now investigating the deadly attack on the Jewish community, according to CNN.
The alleged shooter is 46 year old Robert Bowers. Police are saying that Bowers acted alone, with a total of 3 handguns and 1 rifle recovered from the crime scene. He faces 44 federal charges for the murder of 11 worshippers in Squirrel Hill, some of which are punishable by the death penalty. Bowers has a history of making Anti-Semitic posts on social media platform, Gab. His last post was made minutes before the first reports of the shooting. "I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered," Bowers posted. "Screw your optics, I'm going in." Many across the nation are sharing their empathy for the tragic incident. "The museum reminds all Americans of the dangers of unchecked hatred and anti-Semitism which must be confronted wherever they appear and calls on all Americans to actively work to promote social solidarity and respect the dignity of all individuals," the US Holocaust Memorial Museum said in a statement. In the wake of the shooting, many have started raising money and materials for the victims of the shooting. The NHL team, Pittsburgh Penguins, started a donation page and a blood drive to support the community. If you would like to donate to a verified GoFundMe that has been created to help the victims, click here. Story by Erin Chen Image from CNN. |
