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Pittsburgh Shootings: What We Know

by VOA News

   A gunman opened fire in Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday
   during morning services. The suspect in custody was identified as
   Robert Bowers, 46.

   -- Police said there were "multiple casualties," including four police
   officers. They have confirmed that there were fatalities, but not how
   many.

   -- A bomb squad investigated but found no explosives.

   -- Pittsburgh Director of Public Safety Wendell Hissrich said the scene
   inside the synagogue was "horrific. One of the worst that I've seen."

   -- The FBI was handling the investigation as a hate crime.

   -- Blood banks in Pittsburgh were extending their hours for people who
   wanted to donate.

   -- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf called the situation "serious" and
   encouraged people to stay away from the Squirrel Hill neighborhood
   where the shooting took place.

   -- Nearby Carnegie Mellon University canceled all activities for the
   day.

   -- New York and Los Angeles were adding extra security precautions
   around houses of worship.

   -- President Donald Trump suggested the U.S. "stiffen" its death
   penalty laws in response to the crime.