A suspect was in custody on Saturday morning after a fatal shooting with multiple casualties near the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where Sabbath services were taking place, according to local officials.
At least 12 people were injured, three of whom appeared to be law enforcement and at least eight of which were fatalities, according to preliminary information from multiple senior law enforcement officials.
It is believed the suspect was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and multiple handguns.
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 and said it was imperative neighbors in the surrounding area sheltered in place.
…Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Pittsburgh field office were also responding to the shooting incident.
“There is an active shooter near the Tree of Life in Squirrel Hill. Residents, please stay indoors. Our officers are on the scene,” Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O'Connor wrote on Twitter.
…Shabbat morning services began at 9:45 a.m. at Tree of Life Congregation, 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.
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