11 Dead in Pittsburgh Shooting That Targeted Jews

By: Kayla Pasacreta  

On Saturday morning, a gunman opened fire during a Jewish religious ceremony. Shortly after the shooting, which Is now . The man took the lives of eleven people before telling authorities, “I just want to kill Jews.” The syngagouge attack is likely the deadliest attack on Jews in American History. 

The gunman, identified as 46-year-old Robert Bowers, was taken into police custody. According to ABC, Bowers had several hunting licenses and firearms registered in his name. Bowers will be charged with “29 counts setting forth federal crimes of violence and firearms offenses," according to the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennyslvania. 

Trump acknowledged the attack as anti-Semitic in his initial statement, “This wicked act of mass murder is pure evil, hard to believe, and frankly something that is unimaginable," Trump said at the start of the event. "Our nation and the world are shocked and stunned by the grief. This was an anti-Semitic act. You wouldn't think this would be possible in this day and age but we don't seem to learn from the past." Before boarding a flight Saturday, Trump said the shooting outcome would have been different if someone in the  synagogue was armed, “If there was an armed guard inside the temple, they would have been able to stop him,”

Since the shooting, over 16,000 people have signed a petition urging Trump to condemn white nationalism. The shooting continues to flare political tensions, as it comes just days after over 11 attempted bomb attacks on Democrats and just days away from midterm elections.