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The Latest On Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting

KORVA COLEMAN, HOST:

Eleven people are dead at the Tree of Life synagogue in that city of Pittsburgh. Six people are injured. At a press conference earlier this morning, a medical examiner released the names of the deceased, which include one married couple and two brothers. Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert gave an update on the four injured police officers and offered praise.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

SCOTT SCHUBERT: I mean, they ran into danger. They ran into gunfire to help others. Some of that's training. Some of that's experience. But it's their inner core that wants them to help others, that wants to save lives. And they did that yesterday.

COLEMAN: Scott Brady, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, said the suspected gunman, Robert Bowers, will make his first appearance before a federal judge tomorrow afternoon. Brady also addressed some of the details of the attack inside the synagogue, including that Bowers was armed with three handguns and an AR-15 assault rifle.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

SCOTT BRADY: During the course of his deadly assault on the people of the synagogue, Bowers made statements regarding genocide and his desire to kill Jewish people.

COLEMAN: Bowers faces 29 federal charges, several of which carry the death penalty. The Department of Justice is investigating yesterday's attack as a hate crime. Mayor Bill Peduto also spoke at that press conference and said Pittsburgh will get through this but that we as a society are better than this.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

BILL PEDUTO: We know that hatred will never win out, that those that try to divide us because of the way that we pray or where our families are from around the world will lose. And in Pittsburgh, we're pragmatic and we find solutions to problems. We will not try to rationalize the irrational behavior. We will not try to figure out ways in order to lessen the degree of crimes such as this. We will work to eradicate it. We will work to eradicate it from our city, from our nation and our world. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.