TEMPLE MASSACRE
Anti-Semitic sicko kills 11 in Pittsburgh 4 cops hurt in gunfight, injured susp held
A heavily-armed gunman, spewing anti-Semitic venom as he blasted away, executed 11 worshipers Saturday in a gruesome rampage through a Pittsburgh synagogue, authorities said.
The morning carnage left even veteran investigators struggling to keep their composure after suspect Robert Bowers, 46, was shot, wounded and arrested while trying to flee the bullet-riddled Tree of Life synagogue, officials said.
“All Jews must die!” the gunman allegedly shouted, according to KDKA-TV, before blasting away at a congregation typically full of senior citizens.
The Pittsburgh resident announced his homicidal rampage on a social media site shortly before the shooting started at 9:54 a.m: A Jewish immigrant aid group “likes to bring in invaders that kill our people … Screw your optics, I’m going in.”
“These incidents usually occur in other cities,” said a shaken Wendell Hissrich, Pittsburgh’s public safety director. “Today the nightmare has hit home here in the city of Pittsburgh.”
FBI Special Agent Bob Jones, head of the Pittsburgh office, said the horrifying crime scene inside the fortress-like concrete synagogue was the worst of his 22 years with the feds. Jones made it clear the Jewish victims — all adults — never had a chance against their hate-fueled killer, who also shot four cops during a 20-minute showdown.
“Members of the Tree of Life synagogue, conducting a peaceful service in their place of worship, were brutally murdered by a gunman targeting them simply because of their faith,” said Jones.
A pair of wounded worshipers, including a 70-year-old man shot multiple times, were in critical condition after surviving the bloodbath.
The Anti-Defamation League, an anti-hate group, said the mass shooting “is likely the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States.” And the FBI declared the killings a hate crime that will be handled by federal authorities.
“Justice in this case will be swift, and it will be severe,” promised U.S. Attorney Scott Brady of the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Bowers faces state and federal charges, including 11 counts of homicide, counts of attempted homicide and assault, hate crimes and weapons violations.
Authorities declined comment on whether Bowers directed religious insults toward his victims, but CNN also reported that he was shouting anti-Jewish slurs while firing. Bowers carried an assault rifle and three handguns when he walked through the unlocked synagogue doors and began shooting.
The shooter, bleeding from multiple gunshot injuries, crawled to a spot where he surrendered to authorities. Cops crouched behind their police cars for protection as the bullets flew through the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, Pittsburgh’s most prominent Jewish enclave.
“My stomach is churning,” said lawyer Jeffrey Pollock, 56, who lives four doors down from the house of worship. “I went to get my mail … and saw about a dozen police cars with their lights on.”
He said there was a weekly shabbat service Saturday on the synagogue’s main floor and a bris scheduled for the basement. The mother of one girl attending the services told
CNN that worshipers fled downstairs as the gunshots continued one floor above.
The synagogue’s former rabbi, Chuck Diamond, said he spoke with a regular attendee of the weekly service who escaped death after hitting traffic on his way to the synagogue. By the time the man and his son arrived, police were already on the scene and the temple under attack.
Diamond noted that many of the Saturday attendees were elderly, longtime members of the synagogue.
“I cried — I heard about it, and thought about the people who I knew would be there,” said Diamond, who still lives in the neighborhood where he grew up. “It was terrifying to me … I’m just torn apart.”
Diamond, who left the congregation two years ago, said the synagogue doors were typically unlocked during the shabbat services
Jeff Finklestein, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, estimated the service held as many as 60 people on a typical Saturday.
“I’m just sad,” said Finkelstein. “I really don’t know what to tell you … This should not be happening, period. This should not be happening in a synagogue.”
Sabbath services at the “traditional, progressive and egalitarian” synagogue were scheduled to begin at 9:45 a.m. Cops quickly flooded the chaotic area with ambulances soon lined up on the surrounding streets.
President Trump, asked by reporters about the bloodshed, called for a return to the death penalty and suggested an armed guard was the answer to prevent future anti-Semitic attacks.
“If they had an armed guard inside, they might have been able to stop him immediately,” said Trump. “Maybe there would have been nobody killed except for him, frankly. So it’s a very difficult situation … Isn’t it a shame you even have to think of that, inside a temple, inside a church?”
“There’s a lot of anti-Semitism out there, a lot of hate out there,” said Rabbi Diamond. “It’s in the newspapers every day. It’s a terrible time.”