As news continues to surface about the Pittsburg synagogue shooting that has left 11 people dead and six injured, celebrities are mourning the loss of life and offering their condolences.
The shooting took place at the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill section of the city, the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department announced on Twitter. The department added that it will be prosecuted as a hate crime and the FBI will be leading the investigation.
No children were injured in the shooting, Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich announced at a press conference.
A law enforcement official confirmed to PEOPLE the suspect is Robert Bowers, 46. Police sources told KDKA the shooter yelled, “All Jews must die” after entering the synagogue during the Saturday morning Shabbat service.
“My heart is broken for the victims and loved ones of everyone affected by the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh,” wrote comedian Amy Schumer, who recently announced she’s pregnant with her first child.
Actor Joe Manganiello, who was born nearby in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, added, “My thoughts are back home today with the people of Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh.”
Without specifically mentioning the tragic shooting, television host Ellen DeGeneres made a call for everyone, no matter their political differences, to support one another.
“Today, I send out love to each and every one of you reading this. Every single one of you. We are one world. We all need love. We all want comfort. Let’s give it to each other,” she wrote.
My heart is broken for the victims and loved ones of everyone affected by the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh https://t.co/IuMRo5S674
— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) October 27, 2018
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My thoughts are back home today with the people of Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh.
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) October 27, 2018
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Today, I send out love to each and every one of you reading this. Every single one of you. We are one world. We all need love. We all want comfort. Let’s give it to each other.
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) October 27, 2018
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This is horrifying. https://t.co/tMPa1jMha7
— Katie Couric (@katiecouric) October 27, 2018
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— Hoda Kotb (@hodakotb) October 27, 2018
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White bigots are continuing to murder minorities in the United States and being civilly arrested. I will never shut up about what’s going on until everyone starts to truly realize what kind of time we’re living in again and DOES something about it. #PittsburghSynagogue
— Lauren Jauregui (@LaurenJauregui) October 27, 2018
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RELATED: Multiple People Killed, 6 Injured After Shooter Opens Fire at Pittsburgh Synagogue
In addition to honoring those who had lost their lives, some celebrities also spoke out against President Donald Trump.
When asked by reporters on Saturday morning whether the shooting should make lawmakers across the county want to revisit existing gun safety laws, Trump replied that the tragedy had “little to do with it,” CNN reported.
He went on to argue, “If there was an armed guard inside the temple, they would have been able to stop him.”
Vehemently disagreeing, former One Direction member Niall Horan argued that the better solution would be for there to be “no guns at all.”
“Trump kept saying in his chat with reporters that if there was an armed guard inside the synagogue that the ‘numbers’ would have been a lot lower. The fact is if there was no guns at all, there wouldn’t have been a shooter in the first place,” he wrote. “Get a grip.”
RELATED VIDEO: Multiple Casualties Reported in a Shooting at a Synagogue in Pittsburgh
Outspoken Trump critic Bette Midler wrote: “To the families of those who died in the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, my deepest and sincere sympathies. This horror is escalating day by day. If only we had LEADERSHIP that would actually take steps to stop it.”
Trump kept saying in his chat with reporters that if there was an armed guard inside the synagogue that the “numbers” would have been a lot lower . The fact is if there was no guns at all , there wouldn’t have been a shooter in the first place. Get a grip
— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) October 27, 2018
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To the families of those who died in the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, my deepest and sincere sympathies. This horror is escalating day by day. If only we had LEADERSHIP that would actually take steps to stop it.
— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) October 27, 2018
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Other celebrities also urged people who were upset by gun violence to remember to vote in the upcoming mid-term elections, in order to increase the likelihood that politicians who want stricter gun safety laws get elected.
“Sending love to every single one of you who feels targeted by this administration. i’m with you. VOTE NOVEMBER 6TH,” wrote actress Zoe Kazan.
“The guns are the long arm of this racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBT administration. the laws & judges being put in place are the longest arm. vote. them. Out,” she added in a separate tweet.
This Is Us star Mandy Moore also urged anybody “feeling helpless and frustrated by this news” to vote in the upcoming midterm elections.
“My heart goes out to all those affected by gun violence today and every day. Feeling helpless and frustrated by this news too? VOTE Nov 6th. VOTE. Use your voice,” she wrote, including #GunSenseCandidates.
the guns are the long arm of this racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBT administration. the laws & judges being put in place are the longest arm. vote. them. out.
— zoe kazan (@zoeinthecities) October 27, 2018
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My heart goes out to all those affected by gun violence today and every day. Feeling helpless and frustrated by this news too? VOTE Nov 6th. VOTE. Use your voice. #GunSenseCandidates https://t.co/LCi3ufyMJH
— Mandy Moore (@TheMandyMoore) October 27, 2018
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Trump has condemned the shooting as an act of anti-Semitism.
The suspect was taken into custody after surrendering to police, according to the Associated Press. City Councilwoman Erika Strassburger said the suspect was barricaded by police in the building prior to surrendering and that he was taken to the hospital, the New York Times reported.
The Pittsburgh Public Safety Department tweeted, “Families of shooting victims can call 412-432-4400 for news of their loved ones. A Victims Assistance Center has been set up at Chatham University, Berry Hall, 106 Berry Street.”
from PEOPLE.com https://ift.tt/2OcPkey
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