The mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue yesterday that left 11 dead and six more injured happened during a ceremony for the children of a gay couple.
According to local LGBTQ group, The Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh, the deadly attack occurred during a bris, the Jewish rite of male circumcision, for the couple's adopted twins.
We were just informed that this morning's tragedy was happening during a Briss for a set of twins adopted by a gay couple.
Our hearts and prayers go out to all that were involved including the members of the Synagogue, law-enforcement and first responders.
We have witnessed the worst of America this morning in our town Pittsburgh. More than ever we must come together as people and change the temperament of our country.
According to The New York Times, the shooter, identified as 46-year-old Robert D. Bowers, told police officers he "wanted all Jews to die.”
Robert Jones, a special agent heading up the FBI's investigation told The Times that the synagogue was "the most horrific crime scene" he had seen in his 22 years of experience.
Bowers has been charged with 29 criminal accounts by federal officials.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, The Tree of Life Synagogue shooting was the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States.
Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, issued a statement which read, in part, "Our hearts are with the community of the Tree of Life Synagogue, the first responders who bravely rushed into danger to save lives, the people of Pittsburgh, and all those impacted by this tragic act of hate violence."
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise funds for the victims of the shooting and their families. At this writing, the campaign has raised almost $400,000.
It’s very sad that we’ve
It's very sad that we've reached this point. It's not clear by the article if the parents and twins were killed also?
I don’t think they were. That
I don't think they were. That would have been mentioned on the news somewhere when they were taking about the victims.
This is extremely sad , I
This is extremely sad , I refuse this to be the norm.
Jews have always been the
Jews have always been the most liberal of religious groups toward same-sex partners. (Most gays still despise Israel and adore homophobic Palestinians though. Go figure..)
I can’t comprehend it either,
I can't comprehend it either, sadly I know too many such people.
If everyone had been armed
If everyone had been armed this tragedy could have been avoided.
Four police officers were
Four police officers were among those shot. They were armed. So evidently Trump's brilliant recommendation made absolutely no sense. As usual.
They were shot after the
They were shot after the culprit had barricaded himself. I don't totally agree on armed guards in places of worship, but… I know it's debatable. Several synagogues in Southern California already do so.
What an amazing vision …
What an amazing vision … 350,000,000 people all walking around with machine guns – sublime!