’11 dead and six injured’ – including four police officers – after anti-Semitic White Supremacist, Robert Bowers, armed with an AR-15 opens fire at a Pittsburgh synagogue shouting ‘All these Jews must die’ before surrendering to SWAT
Lone gunman shouting ‘All Jews must die’ sprayed worshipers with bullets at the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburgh during the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday
11 dead and multiple injured – including four police officers, two in critical condition
The shooter identified as 46-year-old Rob Bowers armed with an AR-15 surrendered to SWAT after a gunfight with police
Bowers a well known Jew hating White Supremacist from Pittsburgh, opened fire on the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue at 9.30am on Saturday morning
After killing three people on the main floor then went to a smaller congregation in the basement and shot and killed another three people
Fleeing to the third floor where he exchanged gunfire with police which left four police officers injured before being shot himself and surrendering to SWAT officers
The synagogue was packed for a Sabbath service and a bris ceremony at the time and had no security
Authorities say Bowers will likely be charged with hate crimes
Police respond to the shooting at the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburgh, Pa., during the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday
A lone shooter spewing anti-Semitic venom opened fire Saturday morning in a Pittsburgh synagogue, with reports of several people dead in the gunfire before the assailant surrendered.
“All Jews must die!” the gunman shouted before opening fire on dozens of congregants inside the Tree of Life synagogue, according to KDKA-TV.
At least 11 people are dead and six others are injured after the anti-Semitic abuse spewing gunman armed with an AR-15 opened fire on a packed Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday, shouting: ‘All Jews must die’ as he sprayed worshipers with bullets.
The shooting occurred at the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburgh shortly before 10am.
White Supremacist Robert Bowers, [photo], opened fire Saturday morning in a Pittsburgh synagogue, with 11 congregants reportedly killed. Bowers a known anti-Semitic surrendered to SWAT but not before exchanging fire, injuring four officers
The gunman, identified as Pittsburgh resident Robert Bowers, 46, around 9.30am, he burst through the synagogue’s doors and opened fire on the congregation on the main floor where around 40 to 50 people had gathered for a Sabbath service, shouting ‘all Jews must die!’ while spraying them with gunfire.
After killing three people on the main floor, he went to downstairs, where a second congregation was gathering in the basement, and opened fire there.
He murdered four people there then fled upstairs where, on the third floor, he exchanged fire with SWAT teams and injured four police officers. A third, smaller group was gathered in the rabbi’s office to the side of the main congregation.
After being injured himself in the crossfire, Bowers surrendered to police.
Three cops were shot exchanging gunfire with the shooter.
Police and EMTs are pictured outside the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, on Saturday after an antisemitic gunman opened fire, murdering at least eight people and injuring many others
‘jews are the children of satan. (john 8:44) — —- the lord jesus christ is come in the flesh,’ appears on Bowers’ social media profile
There was no security there, with former synagogue leaders describing how it operates an open door policy for worshipers.
‘On a day today the door is open you can walk in an out,’ the synagogue’s former president, Michael Eisenberg, told CBS Pittsburgh.
‘Like most religious institutions, we have an open door,
Michael Eisenberg, former president of Tree of Life
‘Like most religious institutions, we have an open door,’ he said.
He added that security had been a ‘major’ concern for him in the past and that he was working with the DHS to improve escape routes and emergency procedures.
‘It was a major concern for me , for us. We were working with the DHS to evaluate exit routes, I just spoke to our maintenance person who was able to get out.
‘We were working with the other synagogues on what to do if this happened,’ he said.
He said of the building’s maintenance man: ‘He was shaken, he saw one of our congregants down, he knew, he was in the bathroom and he was able to get out of the building.’
Police and EMTs remove one of the casualties after the shooting at the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, on Saturday morning. At least eight people are dead and several others injured
Members of the community outside the Tree of Life Congregation synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, on Saturday morning after Robert Bowers opened fire, killing eight
There are three different congregations in the building and all were likely full, according to the synagogue’s former president.
The area is still on lock down, with any residents living nearby told to lock their doors and not go outside.
The scene at the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, on Saturday
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