MESSAGE
| DATE | 2018-10-27 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout - NYLXS] Good Morning America - how are you - Pittsburg
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https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/27/us/pittsburgh-synagogue-active-shooter/index.html
11 people killed in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, official says
By Dakin Andone, Jason Hanna, Joe Sterling and Paul P. Murphy, CNN
Updated 7:55 PM ET, Sat October 27, 2018
People gather on a corner near the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh,
Pa., where a shooter opened fire Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, injuring
multiple people. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
People gather on a corner near the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh,
Pa., where a shooter opened fire Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, injuring
multiple people. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
People gather on a corner near the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh,
Pa., where a shooter opened fire Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, injuring
multiple people. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Multiple fatalities in synagogue shooting
Rapid reaction SWAT members leave the scene of a mass shooting at the
Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood on October 27,
2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Officer on dispatch audio: We need armor
pittsburgh shooting suspect gab website stelter sot nr vpx_00013113
Synagogue shooting suspect targeted Jews online
Synagogue shooting suspect identified
Pittsburgh police
Official: One of the worst scenes I've seen
Trump: Shooting had little to do with gun laws
Suspect's social media reveals gun collection
Tammy Hepps, Kate Rothstein and her daughter, Simone Rothstein, 16, pray
from a prayerbook a block away from the site of a mass shooting at the
Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood on October 27,
2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
HIAS CEO: We must keep an eye open for hate
US President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Central
Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee, Wisconsin, October 24, 2018. (Photo by
SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Trump: This attack is an assault on all of us
VP Mike Pence 10-27-18
Pence: Shooting not just criminal, it was evil
Polikce respond to an active shooter situation at the Tree of Life
synagogue on Wildins Avenue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of
Pittsburgh, Pa., on Saturday, October 27, 2018. (Pam Panchak/Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette via AP)
Officials: At least 12 shot, 4 dead at synagogue
Pittsburgh police: Active shooter situation near synagogue
(CNN)Eleven people were killed Saturday morning when a gunman stormed
the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and opened fire on the
congregants inside, officials said.
A law enforcement official told CNN the suspect was identified as
46-year-old Robert Bowers.
It's believed the suspect made anti-Semitic statements during the
shooting and targeted Jews in posts on social media that are a focus of
the investigation, according to a federal law enforcement official.
"These incidents usually occur in other cities," Pittsburgh Public
Safety Director Wendell Hissrich told reporters Saturday afternoon.
"Today the nightmare has hit home in the city of Pittsburgh."
Six people were wounded as a result of the shooting, said Hissrich, four
of whom were police officers who responded to the scene. No children
were among the dead, he said.
"It's a very horrific crime scene," he said Saturday morning. "It's one
of the worst I've seen."
Live updates: Mass shooting at Pittsburgh synagogue
Shots fired shortly before 10 a.m.
Saturday morning's violence rocked the city and the historic Jewish
neighborhood surrounding the synagogue, which one congregant described
as "close-knit."
Jim Waite, who lives across the street from the synagogue, said he
walked outside after hearing a commotion. He assumed it was a car
accident. A police car flew past him; another officer yelled to get
inside. Waite said he heard more than five -- possibly as many as nine
-- shots from inside his home.
He said he could hear screams from inside the synagogue.
The Allegheny County Emergency Operations center received calls of an
active shooter at 9:54 a.m. ET, Hissrich told reporters. Officers were
dispatched a minute later.
According to Bob Jones, FBI special agent in charge of Pittsburgh
office, the suspect was in the process of leaving when he encountered a
Pittsburgh police officer who "engaged him." The officer was
subsequently injured, and the suspect went back into the synagogue,
where he hid from SWAT officers who arrived on the scene.
In all, two police officers and two SWAT officers were wounded in the
confrontation, Hissrich said. Three of them were shot, according to the
city's public safety department.
The suspect also suffered multiple gunshot wounds, but is in fair
condition, Hissrich told reporters. CNN previously reported the shooter
surrendered to police and was taken to Mercy Hospital.
Police respond to the shooting Saturday at the Tree of Life synagogue in
Pittsburgh.
Police respond to the shooting Saturday at the Tree of Life synagogue in
Pittsburgh.
Investigators recovered a rifle and three handguns from the scene of the
shooting, Jones said. Authorities believe the suspect acted alone, and
he said law enforcement had no knowledge of Bowers prior to the shooting.
Authorities could bring criminal charges against the suspected gunman by
the end of the day, said Scott Brady, the United States attorney for the
Western District of Pennsylvania, in a news conference Saturday afternoon.
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions also said in a statement the
Department of Justice "will file hate crimes and other criminal charges
against the defendant, including charges that could lead to the death
penalty."
Social media posts are part of the investigation
A law enforcement source told CNN that investigators believe an account
on Gab, a social media platform, that espoused anti-Semitic views
belonged to Bowers. The language on the account matches the suspected
motivations behind the shootings, the source said.
Its last ominous post was made at 9:49 a.m., just five minutes before
police were notified of the shooting.
"I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered," Bowers wrote.
"Screw your optics, I'm going in."
Bowers' anti-Semitic comments also fueled other hate speech he shared on
Gab, which has styled itself as an alternative to Twitter and puts
nearly no restrictions on content.
Here's what we know so far about Robert Bowers, the Pittsburgh
synagogue shooting suspect
Here's what we know so far about Robert Bowers, the Pittsburgh synagogue
shooting suspect
In one post, Bowers claimed Jews were helping transport members of the
migrant caravans. He believed that those in the migrant caravans were
violent because they were attempting to leave countries that had high
levels of violence. And Bowers repeatedly called them "invaders."
"I have noticed a change in people saying 'illegals' that now say
'invaders'," read one post, six days before the shooting. "I like this."
Among the vitriolic statements is also criticism of President Donald
Trump, in which Bowers suggested the President was surrounded by too
many Jewish people.
"Trump is surrounded by k****", "things will stay the course," read one
post on Gab, using a derogatory term to describe Jews.
Roughly four hours before the shooting, Bowers commented in a post that
he did not vote for Trump.
Anti-Semitic incidents surged nearly 60% in 2017
Anti-Semitic incidents surged nearly 60% in 2017
In a statement, Gab disavowed "all acts of terrorism and violence" and
said its mission was to defend free expression and individual liberty
online for all people."
After being alerted to the suspect's profile on the platform, Gab said
it backed up the data, suspended the account and contacted the FBI.
Bowers also posted photos on his Gab account showing his handgun
collection, including multiple clips and sights.
On September 20, Bowers posted images of shooting targets he said were
from July 2017. He said he was firing at the targets with a Walther PPQ
handgun.
Shooting 'more devastating than originally thought,' Trump says
The FBI will be the lead investigating agency, Hissrich said.
Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that the shooting
was a "terrible, terrible thing."
"If there was an armed guard inside the temple, they would have been
able to stop him," Trump said before boarding a flight to Indianapolis.
Rapid reaction SWAT members leave the scene of the mass shooting at the
Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Rapid reaction SWAT members leave the scene of the mass shooting at the
Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday.
After landing, Trump told reporters the shooting looks like "an
anti-Semitic crime."
"We're learning a lot about it. It looks definitely like it's an
anti-Semitic crime. And that is something you wouldn't believe could
still be going on," he said.
Trump previously said in a tweet that the shooting was "far more
devastating than originally thought."
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said on Twitter that it was a "serious
situation," and the Pennsylvania State Police were helping local first
responders.
"This is an absolute tragedy," Wolf said in another tweet. "These
senseless acts of violence are not who we are as Americans. My thoughts
right now are focused on the victims, their families and making sure law
enforcement has every resource they need."
This is an absolute tragedy. These senseless acts of violence are
not who we are as Americans. My thoughts right now are focused on the
victims, their families and making sure law enforcement has every
resource they need.
— Governor Tom Wolf (-at-GovernorTomWolf) October 27, 2018
Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives responded to the shooting, according to the ATF's
Philadelphia field office.
Security had been a 'major concern' for the congregation
The Tree of Life synagogue is a Conservative Jewish congregation,
according to its website. It's in Squirrel Hill, a historic Jewish
neighborhood. The synagogue has a Shabbat service at 9:45 a.m.
Saturdays, the website said.
Conservative Judaism is one of the major denominations of the religion.
The word "conservative" is not a political designation.
Michael Eisenberg, the immediate past president of the Tree of Life
congregation, said three congregations -- Tree of Life, New Light and
Dor Hadash -- would have been holding simultaneous services in the
building on a typical Saturday.
There would usually would be about 40 people attending the Tree of Life
service in the "main part of the building," Eisenberg said. In the
basement below, New Light's service would also have about 30 to 40
people. And the Dor Hadash congregation in the rabbi's study room would
have about 15 people, he said.
A SWAT police officer and other first responders respond after a gunman
opened fire at the synagogue.
A SWAT police officer and other first responders respond after a gunman
opened fire at the synagogue.
"On a day like today, the door is open," Eisenberg told a reporter for
CNN affiliate KDKA. "It's a religious service. You could walk in and
out. Only on the high holidays is there a police presence at the entrance."
When he was the congregation's president, security was a "major
concern," Eisenberg said.
The congregation had worked with the Department of Homeland Security to
evaluate its exit routes, he said, and consulted a securities expert at
the Jewish Federation about what to do in an active shooter situation.
"We were working with the other synagogues on what to do if something
horrific like this happened," he said.
Leaders around the world react to the mass killing at a Pittsburgh synagogue
Leaders around the world react to the mass killing at a Pittsburgh synagogue
Just a few months ago, Tree of Life Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers addressed
ongoing gun violence and lawmakers' failure to tackle the issue on the
congregation's blog.
In the July post, titled "We Deserve Better," Myers said he was afraid
school shootings would continue without a "dramatic turnaround" in this
year's mid-term elections
"Unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the mid-term elections, I fear
that that the status quo will remain unchanged, and school shootings
will resume. I shouldn't have to include in my daily morning prayers
that God should watch over my wife and daughter, both teachers, and keep
them safe," Myers wrote. "Where are our leaders?"
Anti-Semitic incidents in US surged in 2017
A number of other figures and organizations, such as the US Holocaust
Memorial Museum, issued statements condemning the violence and extending
its sympathies to the victims and their families.
"The museum reminds all Americans of the dangers of unchecked hatred and
anti-Semitism which must be confronted wherever they appear and calls on
all Americans to actively work to promote social solidarity and respect
the dignity of all individuals," the Holocaust Museum said in a statement.
In 2017, anti-Semitic incidents in the United States surged nearly 60%,
according to the Anti-Defamation League. It found 1,986 cases of
harassment, vandalism or physical assault against Jews and Jewish
institutions last year.
An unidentified woman asks for a status update from Pittsburgh City
firefighters a block away from the site of the synagogue shooting.
An unidentified woman asks for a status update from Pittsburgh City
firefighters a block away from the site of the synagogue shooting.
In a statement Saturday, the ADL said the attack was believed to be the
deadliest on the Jewish community in US history.
"It is simply unconscionable for Jews to be targeted during worship on a
Sabbath morning," it said, "and unthinkable that it would happen in the
United States of America in this day and age."
CNN's Evan Perez, Keith Allen, Matthew Hilk and Shimon Prokupecz
contributed to this report.
--
So many immigrant groups have swept through our town
that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological
proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
http://www.mrbrklyn.com
DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS - RI Safir 2002
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Being so tracked is for FARM ANIMALS and and extermination camps,
but incompatible with living as a free human being. -RI Safir 2013
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