The gunman who opened fire on a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday killed a 97-year-old woman and 10 others while shouting about genocide and “his desire to kill Jewish people,” authorities reported Sunday.
Each of victims was middle-aged or older, including a pair of brothers in their 50s and a husband and wife in their 80s.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto hailed the strength and vibrancy of the Squirrel Hill neighborhood where the attack unfolded, saying it is the most diverse part of western Pennsylvania.
“The Jewish community is the backbone. It is part of the fabric of Pittsburgh,” he said.
He also said it’s far too strong to be knocked down.
“We know that we as a society are better than this. We know that hatred will never win out, that those that try to divide us because of the way that we pray or where our families are from around the world will lose,” he said. “We will not try to rationalize irrational behavior. We will not try to figure out ways in order to lessen the degree of crimes such as this. We will work to eradicate it.”
It was a tacit rebuke of President Trump, who condemned the attack and hatred behind it while suggesting the synagogue could have thwart it with armed guards.
Mr. Peduto, a Democrat, rejected that approach, saying policymakers should focus on the weapons used instead of piecemeal measures to minimize the damage from “irrational behavior.”
“I think the approach we need to be looking at is how we take the guns, which is the common denominator of every mass shooting in America, out of the hands of those who are looking to express hatred through murder,” Mr. Peduto said.
Earlier in the press conference, authorities revealed the names of the eight men and three women who were killed. They asked the media to keep their distance from the families in the wake of the tragedy.
The Allegheny County medical examiner identified the victims as: Joyce Fienberg, 75, Richard Gottfried, 65, Rose Mallinger, 97, Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, Cecil Rosenthal, 59, and his brother, David Rosenthal, 54, Bernice Simon, 84, and her husband, Sylvan Simon, 86, Daniel Stein, 71, Melvin Wax, 88, and Irving Younger, 69.
The suspected gunman, 46-year-old Robert Bowers, is charged with 29 federal counts and will make his first court appearance Monday afternoon, though over the weekend he was being treated under guard at the hospital.
The charges include 11 counts of murdering victims who were exercising their religious beliefs, and 11 counts of using a firearm to commit murder.
“Each of these counts is punishable by death,” U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said.
The remaining seven counts relate to his attack on responding officers.
Mr. Brady said Mr. Bowers entered the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill at 9:50 a.m. armed with three Glock .357 handguns and an AR-15 rifle. He wounded two worshippers in addition to those he killed.
Then, “police officers and SWAT teams responded quickly to the scene, and Bowers shot at them,” Mr. Brady said.
One officer has been released, one might be released Sunday and two others will require longer treatment.
Robert Jones, FBI special agent in charge, said authorities conducted a search of Mr. Bowers’ home in Baldwin, Pennsylvania, and his vehicle. They are also investigating his cyber activities.
“Know that we will spare no effort or resource in insuring that the defendant is held fully accountable for his unspeakable and hateful crimes,” Mr. Brady said.
Authorities said there is no indication Mr. Bowers worked with accomplices, though they’re still investigating.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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