Gunman kills 11 in synagogue horror
A FANATICAL anti-Semite yelled “all Jews must die” as he opened fire during a baby naming service at a US synagogue yesterday, killing at least 11 and injuring six others before surrendering.
The gunman had posted “I’m going in” at the end of a vile anti-Jewish post on social media shortly before the massacre, in which he also shot four police officers using an AR-15 automatic rifle and three handguns.
Robert Bowers, 46, allegedly stormed the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh about 10am Saturday local time.
Attorney-General Jeff Sessions said last night federal prosecutors would file hate crime charges that could lead to the death penalty if he is found guilty.
A middle aged white man with a hate-filled social media presence, Bowers was revealed after his arrest to be an outspoken critic of the Trump administration who had legally bought at least six guns since 1996.
Authorities said the victims were all adults and that the large building in the predominately Jewish historic neighbourhood of Squirrel Hill was more crowded than usual for Saturday services because of the “bris” service for a newborn baby boy.
“It’s one of the worst that I have seen and I’ve been on plane crashes. It’s … it’s very bad,” said former FBI agent Wendell Hissrich, who is the city’s Public Safety Director.
Quickly labelled an act of antisemitism, the shooting was condemned by President Trump, who called for the death penalty for perpetrators of hate crimes. “I think one thing we should (do) is we should stiffen up our laws in terms of the death penalty. When people do this, they should get the death penalty, and they shouldn’t have to wait years and years,” he said.
Mr Trump also deflected questions about gun control, saying armed security guards could have prevented the high number of casualties, even though four police officers responding to the shooting were among those injured.
“This is a case where if they had an armed guard inside, they might have been able to stop him immediately,” Mr Trump said.
“Maybe there would have been nobody killed, except for him, frankly.”
Witnesses who called 911 said the gunman walked into the synagogue and opened fire immediately.
He reportedly killed three people on the ground level, four in the synagogue’s basement and at least one other person before fleeing to the third floor where he exchanged gunfire with police before surrendering.