11 Dead, 6 Wounded in Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting

11 Dead, 6 Wounded in Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting

A gunman entered a Pittsburgh synagogue during Saturday services, killing 11 worship attendees and wounding six other people, including four police officers, before he was taken into custody

  • By Jessica Davis
  • Oct 29, 2018

A gunman entered a Pittsburgh synagogue during Saturday services, killing 11 worship attendees and wounding six other people, including four police officers, before he was taken into custody. Among other charges, federal hate crime charges have been filed against the suspect in what is believed to have been an anti-Semitic act.

At the time of the attack Saturday morning, the weekly Shabbat services were getting underway at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s predominantly Jewish Squirrel Hill neighborhood. The gunman, armed with an assault rifle and three handguns, entered the synagogue at about 9:50 a.m. and opened fire. He reportedly made multiple anti-Semitic comments during his attack.

The first 911 call came from someone inside the building about 4 minutes after the gunman began attacking, and 10 minutes after the attack began, at 10 a.m., the first responding police officers arrived. The two officers encountered the suspect and they exchanged fire. The suspect reentered the synagogue and more officers, including a SWAT team, began to arrive.

The SWAT team entered the building at 10:29 a.m. and encountered the gunman almost 20 minutes later. The suspect opened fire on them until he was cornered, convinced to surrender, and taken into custody.

Three police officers were shot and one was injured by shrapnel, according to authorities. Two of the six people injured were listed as being in critical condition.

The FBI is leading the investigation. FBI Special Agent Bob Jones, director of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office, said, “This is the most horrific crime scene I’ve seen in 22 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

The Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Council for Public Affairs described it as the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

  • The Impact of Convergence Between IT and Physical Security

    For years, the worlds of physical security and information technology (IT) remained separate. While they shared common goals and interests, they often worked in silos. Read Now

  • Unlocking Trustworthy AI: Building Transparency in Security Governance

    In situations where AI supports important security tasks like leading investigations and detecting threats and anomalies, transparency is essential. When an incident occurs, investigators must trace the logic behind each automated response to confirm its validity or spot errors. Demanding interpretable AI turns opaque “black boxes” into accountable partners that enhance, rather than compromise, organizational defense. Read Now

  • Seeking Innovative Solutions

    Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. You may recognize these terms as the “5 Phases” of a grieving process, but they could easily describe the phases one goes through before adopting any new or emerging innovation or technology, especially in a highly risk-averse industry like security. However, the desire for convenience in all aspects of modern life is finally beginning to turn the tide from old school hardware as the go-to towards more user-friendly, yet still secure, door solutions. Read Now

  • Where AI Meets Human Judgment

    Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days. It is driving business growth, shaping consumer experiences, and showing up in places most of us never imagined just a few years ago. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.