A mass shooting at a synagogue in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood on the outskirts of the city left at least 11 people dead and six people injured, including four police officers who were met with gunfire as they responded to a "horrific crime scene" that federal authorities are investigating as a hate crime.
Police confirmed the death toll, which included no children, following the 20-minute shooting spree at the Tree of Life Synagogue in the largely residential Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Three of the four police officers were struck by gunfire, but police fired back and disarmed the shooter, authorities said.
The suspected shooter, who reportedly shouted anti-Semetic statements as he fired, has been taken into custody and was being treated at a hospital for multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said. Authorities said the FBI was on the scene and treating the attack as a hate crime. They said it didn't appear that the suspect was known to law enforcement before Saturday's attack.
Scott Brady, the U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh, identified the suspect as Robert Bowers, 46, of Pittsburgh. Authorities said Bowers was armed with an assault rifle and three handguns. A senior law enforcement official told The Daily Beast that Bowers has had a permit to carry a firearm since July 2016 and had licenses for multiple weapons.
