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A suspect was in custody on Saturday morning after a fatal shooting near the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where Sabbath services were taking place, according to local officials.
At least eight people were killed, according to multiple senior law enforcement officials. Two suffered injuries that are "critical and serious in nature" and four police officers, three of whom were shot, had non-life-threatening injuries, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich.
"It’s a very horrific crime scene. One of the worst I've seen," Hissrich said. "It's very bad."
Hissrich declined to say whether children were among the injured but said he believed a service was occurring at the time of the attack.
It is believed the suspect, identified by multiple law enforcement officials as Robert Bowers, 46, of Pittsburgh, was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and multiple handguns. Social media accounts that appear to belong to Bowers contained posts with anti-Semitic messages and hate speech.
Hissrich said the Federal Bureau of Investigations would be leading the investigation. The Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety tweeted that the shooting would be prosecuted as a hate crime.
Congregants told MSNBC that a circumcision celebration, known as a bris, was taking place in the synagogue this morning.
Pittsburgh Public Safety tweeted on Saturday morning that there was an active shooter in the area around the synagogue and said to avoid the area. Pittsburgh Police Commander Jason Lando said there were multiple casualties.
Suspect in synagogue shooting made anti-Semitic remarks
Oct. 27, 201802:01Jeff Finkelstein, CEO of Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh since 2004, told NBC News affiliate WPXI that he rushed to the area when he heard about the shooting.
“I just feel horrible for all those people inside,” Finkelstein said. “You know, everyone thinks about Israel in situations like this. It’s just shocking to come back to Squirrel Hill and see something like this.”
Rabbi Chuck Diamond, a former spiritual leader of Tree of Life, told reporters that he never spoke to his congregation about what to do during a shooting, but it's something he thought about.
"There's a lot of anti-Semitism out there and a lot of hate out there," Diamond said. "Sobering that it's touched our community."
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, tweeted that the organization was working with law enforcement to "push back on prejudice."
"We are devastated. Jews targeted on Shabbat morning at synagogue, a holy place of worship, is unconscionable," Greenblatt wrote. "Our hearts break for the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community."
Following the attack, social media platform Gab said in a statement that the site verified an account as matching the alleged shooter's identity.
"Gab took swift and proactive action to contact law enforcement immediately. We first backed up all user data from the account and then proceeded to suspend the account. We then contacted the FBI and made them aware of this account and the user data in our possession," the statement read.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Pittsburgh field office were also responding to the shooting incident.
President Trump tweeted about the shooting on Saturday, saying that he was keeping an eye on the unfolding events in Squirrel Hill.
"People in Squirrel Hill area should remain sheltered. Looks like multiple fatalities. Beware of active shooter. God Bless All!" Trump wrote.
He later tweeted, "Events in Pittsburgh are far more devastating than originally thought. Spoke with Mayor and Governor to inform them that the Federal Government has been, and will be, with them all the way."
Vice President Mike Pence also tweeted his prayers to the victims and said he was also monitoring the situation.
"Monitoring reports of shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Praying for the fallen, the injured, all the families impacted, and our courageous first responders," Pence wrote. "God bless them all."
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf tweeted that Pennsylvania State Police were also assisting with the shooting.
"We are still learning details about the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh but it is a serious situation ... keep the congregants and law enforcement in your prayers," Wolf wrote.
In New York City and Baltimore, police said they were stepping up security at synagogues and houses of worship. In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti said police were stepping up patrols around places of worship.
Shabbat morning services began at 9:45 a.m. at Tree of Life Congregation, which is in close proximity to Carnegie Mellon University, according to its website. The Conservative congregation was founded more than 150 years ago and is led by Rabbi Hazan Jeffrey Myers, who came to the synagogue in August 2017.
Saturday mornings are when Shabbat is observed in the Jewish faith and is typically a busy time at synagogues.
Squirrel Hill is considered a historic Jewish enclave and center for Jewish life in Pittsburgh, and it is considered home to more than a quarter of Jewish households in the Pittsburgh-area, according to a Brandeis University study of the Greater Pittsburgh Jewish community. More than 80 percent of Squirrel Hill residents said they had some concern or were very concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism. Many also reported incidents of anti-Semitic experiences in the past year, from insults and stereotypes to physical threats or attacks, according to the study.
This is a developing news story. Check back for more information.
