Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting leaves several dead, official says

Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania said in a statement that "these senseless acts of violence are not as we Americans."

"We must all pray and hope for no more loss of life," he said. "Dangerous weapons are putting our citizens in harm's way."

Tree of Life is in Squirrel Hill, a quiet, middle-clbad neighborhood in the heart of Pittsburgh's Jewish community.

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who leads the congregation, said in a blog post in July that the government was unable to pbad important laws, such as gun control, to protect citizens.

"" It's all about knowing it's going to be fade away in time, "he wrote. "Unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the midterm elections, I would like to remain unchanged, and school shoots will resume."

Jonathan A. Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, said on Twitter that he was "devastated" by the shooting.

"Jews targeted on Shabbat morning at synagogue, a holy place of worship, is unconscionable.Our hearts break for the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community," Greenblatt wrote.

"We are struggling to understand the extent of this anti-Semitic attack and we are working with communities in the world to push back against prejudice," Greenblatt said in a second Twitter post.

President Donald Trump told reporters the killings might have been prevented if there was an armed guard inside the building.

"If they had some kind of protection inside the temple, it might have been a very different situation," Trump said to reporters about the shooting at a synagogue that was holding a shabbat religious service.

"They have not been able to do this, but they have not been able to do," Trump told reporters before getting on Air Force One to fly to Indianapolis for a farmers' convention.

The New York Times