Community members in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, continue to protest the June 19 police shooting of an unarmed black teen whose fatal encounter with an officer was captured on video by a bystander’s cell phone.

A Pittsburgh-area police officer shot 17-year-old Antwon Rose Jr. three times last week as he fled the scene of a traffic stop, authorities said.

The black teen was the passenger of a car suspected by police to be involved with a shooting minutes earlier that day, the Allegheny County Police Department said in a statement, adding that Rose was unarmed when an officer fatally shot him.

A private funeral for Rose is being held Monday. On Sunday, hundreds of mourners gathered for Rose’s wake with some wearing homemade shirts reading, “Justice for Antwon,” local news outlet TribLIVE reported.

Seeing a lot of these homemade shirts this evening outside the Homestead funeral home where hundreds are cycling through to pay their respects. This photo shows Taivion Boynes, 19, a friend of Antwon’s. “Three shots to the back, how you justify that?” pic.twitter.com/9h6wEneeFW — Megan Guza (@meganguzaTrib) June 24, 2018

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Rose’s death is being ruled a homicide and that the teen died of a gunshot wound. More than a week after the shooting, the officer was arrested and charged with criminal homicide in Rose’s death.

“[The officer] was not acting to prevent death or serious bodily injury,” Allegheny County district attorney Stephen Zappala told reporters in a news conference this week. “It’s my position that he’s not entitled to a justification charge to a jury as a defense.”

Here’s what we know about what happened and what police and the community will do next.

What police say

Allegheny County police received multiple 911 calls of a shooting around 8:20 p.m. ET Tuesday, the department said in its initial statement on Facebook. Responding officers found a wounded 22-year-old male who was subsequently transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Witnesses who reported the incident provided a description of a car that was seen fleeing the scene of the shooting: a silver Chevrolet Cruze that also had “ballistics damage to the rear window.” About 13 minutes later, an East Pittsburgh officer flagged a vehicle that matched the description of the car and stopped it.

READ MORE: New study gives broader look into how police killings affect black Americans’ mental health

The officer handcuffed the driver, while two passengers who were also in the vehicle ran away, police said. That’s when an officer shot and killed the teen who was later identified as Rose. He was declared dead at a local hospital. On Friday, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala confirmed that police found an empty gun clip on Rose.

The driver, 20, was released by authorities after he was questioned. The third suspect has yet to be located by authorities.

Press conference at the Allegheny County police headquarters about an officer that shot a 17-year-old boy last night in East Pittsburgh.Read the story: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2018/06/19/North-Braddock-East-Pittsburgh-officer-involved-shooting/stories/201806190176 Posted by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday, June 20, 2018

In a news conference the following day, Allegheny County Police Superintendent Coleman McDonough confirmed that Rose was unarmed when he “bolted” from the scene. Two firearms were recovered from the floor of the car, McDonough said.

“I’m very confident that that was the vehicle involved in the shooting,” McDonough told reporters.

The superintendent also said the officers involved were not wearing body cameras, nor was the vehicle equipped with any cameras. The officer who fatally shot Rose — identified as Michael Rosfeld — has been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is being investigated, McDonough said. He would not answer other questions about the officer, including on Rosfeld’s race.

“I understand people believe I’m just a statistic. I say to them I’m different,” Rose once wrote in a poem.

McDonough also said the officer could have been justified in shooting at a fleeing suspect if he posed an imminent threat to authorities or others.

East Pittsburgh Mayor Louis Payne said Rosfeld, who has eight years of police experience at other departments, was formally sworn in hours before the shooting, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

When asked about the “groundswell” of outrage from the community over the police shooting, McDonough said, “I understand in today’s atmosphere anytime a young man is killed there’s cause for outrage in some areas … however, I would urge people to give us time to conduct an objective investigation, to gather facts.”

What can you see in the bystander video?

A bystander filmed the deadly encounter on video and posted it to Facebook.

In the 17-second video, a second police vehicle arrives at the scene as two people are seen running away from the parked police vehicle in the middle of the street. Then, three gunshots ring out.

“Why are they shooting at him?” the person recording the shooting is heard saying. “All they did was run, and they’re shooting at them.”

Upon seeing the video of the shooting, Antwon’s aunt Mica Tinsley is quoted by the Post-Gazette as saying, “They’re not even saying stop … They just started shooting, and he fell. He didn’t make it far.”

“Any loss of life is tragic, and especially the loss of life of a child. This is a devastating situation and I am saddened for Antwon Rose and his family,” Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto said in a statement.

What’s next?

The shooting death of Rose comes amid continuing national scrutiny of police use of force, particularly against black Americans. Protests swelled last week with hundreds of peaceful protesters marching on a major interstate Thursday, shouting “No justice! No peace!” and carrying “Justice4Antwon” signs. Protests are expected to continue.

Protesters lying down on Parkway near Wilkinsburg exit pic.twitter.com/2NXJejhkWo — Andrew Goldstein (@angolds) June 22, 2018

Pennsylvania state and Allegheny County police, among other law enforcement agencies, are investigating the shooting. The district attorney has yet to decide on whether criminal charges would be brought against the officer.

Rose’s parents, speaking with ABC, said they hope the ongoing investigation is going to be fair. Rose’s mother, Michelle Kenney, told ABC on Sunday that the officer shot her son “in cold blood.”

“Every time you turn on the TV, there’s a young African-American male shot by the police,” she said through tears. “And you say, ‘I feel sorry for them.’ But ‘them’ is me. But ‘them’ is him.”

Rose’s family released a poem Thursday, written by Rose two years ago, via the Woodland Hills School District, where he attended school. Titled “I AM NOT WHAT YOU THINK!,” Rose wrote, “I see mothers bury their sons. I want my mom to never feel that pain.” The poem was created for his 10th grade honors English class, CNN reported. Rose’s poem was read aloud amid protests over his death.

“I understand people believe I’m just a statistic. I say to them I’m different,” Rose wrote.

READ MORE: When black death goes viral, it can trigger PTSD-like trauma </s> An unarmed teenage boy was fatally shot by a police officer while fleeing a traffic stop in East Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Antwon Rose, 17, was shot three times in the back while running from a parked car that was stopped by a police officer, Allegheny County Police Superintendent Coleman McDonough said, according to the Associated Press.

Authorities said Wednesday that an officer stopped the car Rose was in because it matched the description of a vehicle identified in a nonfatal shooting in another town. McDonough said police found two semi-automatic weapons on the car’s floor.

The 20-year-old driver of the vehicle was taken into custody and released after speaking to police on Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Rose died at a local hospital Tuesday night, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office told the AP.

McDonough encouraged people to give his department enough time to investigate the case.

“I understand in today’s atmosphere anytime a young man is killed there’s cause for outrage in some areas,” he said, according to the Post-Gazette. “However, I would urge people to give us time to conduct an objective investigation, to gather facts.” </s> UPDATE (1:10 p.m.): Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto released the following statement regarding the deadly police shooting in East Pittsburgh:

We’re following the latest developments in the investigation and working to learn more about the 17-year-old -- for Channel 11 News, starting at 5 p.m.

“Any loss of life is tragic, and especially the loss of life of a child. This is a devastating situation and I am saddened for Antwon Rose and his family.

“While Tuesday's shooting was not within the city's official borders it impacts all of us in the Pittsburgh region, and particularly those in the African American community. In my reactions to the incident I should have acknowledged that these shootings affect all of us, no matter where we live, and for that I am sorry.

“Tuesday night I was receiving numerous calls and messages asking me to respond to the involvement of police in a shooting in East Pittsburgh borough, and at the time I was attempting to clarify for the national public that the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, which I ultimately oversee, were not involved.

“This was never intended to be, nor should it be, the focus of news coverage. I answer people when they reach out to me seeking factual information, just as all elected officials should be expected to do."

UPDATE (12:49 p.m.): The 17-year-old was shot three times while running from police, Coleman McDonough, superintendent of the Allegheny County Police Department, said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

McDonough said two guns were found in the car after the traffic stop, but the 17-year-old was not armed at the time of the shooting.

The driver of the vehicle was initially detained by police. He has since been released, police said.

A third person who was in the vehicle and fled has not been located.

The East Pittsburgh police officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave.

ORIGINAL STORY: A 17-year-old was shot and killed by police in East Pittsburgh Tuesday night after he allegedly ran away from a traffic stop, authorities said.

Police have not officially identified the teenager, but community sources told Channel 11 News he is Antwon Rose. He attended Woodland Hills High School last year.

STORY: What we know now about Antwon Rose, 17-year-old fatally shot by police

According to the Allegheny County Police Department, Rose got out of a vehicle that matched the description of a vehicle seen near a shooting that occurred shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Kirkpatrick Avenue in North Braddock.

The vehicle, which police said had damage from bullets to the back window, was stopped near Grandview Avenue and Howard Street.

An officer from the East Pittsburgh Police Department was handcuffing the driver when two males ran from the car, police said. One of those males was Rose.

Rose was taken to McKeesport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Allegheny County Police Department is asking the other person who ran away from the vehicle to turn himself in “so that he can give a comprehensive description of what occurred.” </s> EAST PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- A police officer fatally shot an unarmed 17-year-old boy just seconds after he fled from a traffic stop in a confrontation partly captured on video from a nearby home. The teen has been identified as Antwon Rose, reports CBS Pittsburgh.

Police say the car stopped Tuesday night in the town of East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, matched the description of a vehicle being sought in a nonfatal shooting in a nearby town. Police had been searching for a car that fled the scene where a 22-year-old victim had been wounded in the abdomen during a drive-by shooting, reports CBS Pittsburgh. The victim in that shooting also returned fire.

Police spotted what they believed was the same car in East Pittsburgh a short time later. The car had bullet holes in the rear windows, the station reports.

East Pittsburgh police pulled over the car, and while the driver was being detained, two passengers ran from the car, including Rose.

A East Pittsburgh officer opened fire and Rose was struck by multiple rounds.

The video captured the sound of what appeared to be three gunshots as two people bolted from the car past the side of a home and disappeared from view.

"Why are they shooting at him?" a woman can be heard saying in the video.

Allegheny County Police Superintendent Coleman McDonough said the officer fired his weapon and struck the victim three times. There were no body-worn or vehicle cameras, McDonough said.

A witness tells The Associated Press that the teen did not appear to threaten the officer. Police found two semi-automatic handguns inside the vehicle, but none on Rose.

The shooting has prompted outrage in the community.

"Why did they have to shoot when he's running away? Where is the justification in that? How were you scared when he's running away from you?" East Pittsburgh resident Selena Brookins told the station.

Rose was a student in the Woodland Hills School District.

"The Woodland Hills School District acknowledges the gun violence that occurred recently within the neighborhoods that our district serves," the district said in a statement released to CBS Pittsburgh. "We are urging the communities to help us call a ceasefire to end this gun violence to keep our community safe for our children.

The driver who was detained was later released, McDonough said. The other passenger who fled is still being sought. He wouldn't say who was believed to be the gunman in the original shooting but said he was "very confident" the vehicle pulled over was the one involved.

An interview with the officer hasn't yet been conducted but he's on administrative leave pending an investigation. </s> Two guns were found in the car, but the driver was interviewed and released with no charges filed against them.

Seventeen-year-old Antwon Rose of Rankin, Pennsylvania, was shot and killed by Pittsburgh police as he fled the scene of a traffic stop Tuesday night. A police officer had pulled over the car in which Antwon was a passenger in connection with a shooting.

Police say they received reports of a shooting in East Braddock about 8:20 Tuesday night. Officers responded to the scene where they found a 22-year-old victim. Witnesses reported seeing a car with a description that fit the car in which Rose was a passenger leaving the area. The East Pittsburgh officer who first saw his car also noticed it had bullet damage to its rear window.

Superintendent Coleman McDonough said that the officer ordered the driver to get out of the car and lay on the ground. Antwon and another passenger exited the vehicle and took off running. The police officer fired at the passengers and struck one of them, Antwon Rose. He was taken to the hospital and declared dead at 9:19 p.m.

Allegheny County police held a press conference Wednesday and stated that three shots were fired at the teen. They struck him in “various places on his body.” McDonough wouldn’t confirm whether any of those places included the teen’s back. He said that more details will be released by the medical examiner at a later time.

Officers found two guns in the vehicle, but the driver was interviewed and released with no charges filed against them. The whereabouts of the other runner are not known, but police believe they were struck by a bullet and are asking for them to come forward and assist police in piecing together what happened during the traffic stop.

McDonough voiced concern about the aftermath of Antwon’s death.

“I understand that in today’s atmosphere, any time a young man is killed, there is cause for outrage in some areas… Social media is so prolific… Some of the initial postings that came out directly after this incident were inaccurate and inflammatory, so I would urge that people in the community give us a chance to conduct an objective investigation, and I guarantee that’s what they’ll get from the Allegheny County police.”

One social media posting following the incident was a video of the shooting that was posted to Facebook. McDonough acknowledged that he had seen it but warned against extrapolating too much from it. He indicated it would be part of the investigation into the events related to the incident. Neither the officer involved in the traffic stop nor his vehicle was equipped with a camera, according to the superintendent. The identity of the officer has not been released, but they have been put on paid leave while an investigation is conducted. </s> EAST PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A 17-year-old was shot and killed by police in East Pittsburgh Tuesday night after he allegedly ran away from a traffic stop on foot.

We will have the latest on the breaking story on Channel 11 Morning News starting at 4:30 a.m.

According to the Allegheny County Police Department, the vehicle the teen got out of matched the description of a vehicle seen near a shooting that occurred in North Braddock around 8:20 p.m.

An officer from the East Pittsburgh Police Department was handcuffing the driver when two males ran from the car.

One of those males was the 17-year-old who was shot and killed by police. He has not been identified publicly because police have not notified his family.

The Allegheny County Police Department is asking the other person who ran away from the vehicle to turn himself in "so that he can give a comprehensive description of what occurred."

The victim in the North Braddock shooting, a 22-year-old man, was treated for his injuries and released from an area trauma center.

The Allegheny County Police Homicide Unit is investigating both incidents. </s> PITTSBURGH (AP) — A gunman who's believed to have spewed anti-Semitic slurs and rhetoric on social media barged into a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday and opened fire, killing 11 people in one of the deadliest attacks on Jews in U.S. history.

The 20-minute attack at Tree of Life Congregation in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood left six others wounded, including four police officers who dashed to the scene, authorities said.

The suspect, Robert Bowers, traded gunfire with police and was shot several times. Bowers, who was in fair condition at a hospital, was charged late Saturday with 29 federal counts, including hate crimes and weapons offenses. It wasn't immediately known if Bowers had an attorney to speak on his behalf.

"Please know that justice in this case will be swift and it will be severe," Scott Brady, the chief federal prosecutor in western Pennsylvania, said at a news conference, characterizing the slaughter as a "terrible and unspeakable act of hate."

The mass shooting came amid a rash of high-profile attacks in an increasingly divided country, one day after a Florida man was arrested and charged with mailing a series of pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and little more than a week before the midterm elections.

The killings also immediately reignited the longstanding national debate about guns: President Donald Trump said the outcome might have been different if the synagogue "had some kind of protection" from an armed guard, while Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf noted that once again "dangerous weapons are putting our citizens in harm's way."

Trump ordered flags at federal buildings throughout the U.S. to be flown at half-staff in "solemn respect" for the shooting victims. He said he planned to travel to Pittsburgh, but offered no details.

Authorities say that just before 10 a.m., Bower entered the large synagogue with an assault-style rifle and three handguns. Three separate congregations were conducting Sabbath services in different areas of the large building, according to Michael Eisenberg, the immediate past president of the Tree of Life. The Pennsylvania attorney general's office said it was told by victims that a brit milah — a ritual circumcision ceremony at which a baby boy also receives his Hebrew name — was also taking place, though law enforcement officials later said no children were among the dead or wounded.

"It is a very horrific crime scene," said a visibly moved Wendell Hissrich, the Pittsburgh public safety director. "It's one of the worst that I've seen."

The survivors included Daniel Leger, 70, a nurse and hospital chaplain who was in critical condition after undergoing surgery, his brother, Paul Leger, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Daniel Leger was scheduled to lead a service Saturday morning, he said.

The mass shooting raised immediate alarm in Jewish communities around the country. Authorities in New York City, Chicago and elsewhere increased security at Jewish centers.

Bob Jones, head of the FBI's Pittsburgh office, said that worshippers "were brutally murdered by a gunman targeting them simply because of their faith," though he cautioned the shooter's full motive was not yet known.

Bowers, who had no apparent criminal record, expressed virulently anti-Semitic views on a social media site called Gab, according to an Associated Press review of an archived version of the posts made under his name. The cover photo for his account featured a neo-Nazi symbol, and his recent posts included a photo of a fiery oven like those used in Nazi concentration camps used to cremate Jews during World War II.

Other posts referenced false conspiracy theories suggesting the Holocaust — in which an estimated 6 million Jews perished — was a hoax. He wrote of a Jewish "infestation," using a slur for Jews.

Gab confirmed Bowers had a profile on its website, which is popular with far-right extremists.

Before the shooting, the poster believed to be Bowers also wrote that "HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in."

HIAS is a nonprofit group that helps refugees around the world find safety and freedom. The organization says it is guided by Jewish values and history.

Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive officer of the Anti-Defamation League, said the group believes Saturday's attack was the deadliest on the Jewish community in U.S. history.

"Our hearts break for the families of those killed and injured at the Tree of Life Synagogue, and for the entire Jewish community of Pittsburgh," Greenblatt said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was "heartbroken and appalled" by the attack.

"The entire people of Israel grieve with the families of the dead," Netanyahu said. "We stand together with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh. We stand together with the American people in the face of this horrendous anti-Semitic brutality. And we all pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded."

Thousands of people, some holding candles, gathered for a vigil in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood on Saturday night in honor of the victims, whose names were not immediately released. A chant of "vote, vote, vote" broke out during the emotional gathering. Some attendees blamed the shooting on the nation's political climate, and said they took little solace in the planned visit by Trump.

At a political rally in Murphysboro, Illinois, Trump said "the evil anti-Semitic attack is an assault on all of us."

The president — who, at times, has been accused by critics of failing to adequately condemn hate, such as when he blamed "both sides" for the violence at a Charlottesville, Virginia, white supremacist rally in 2017 — said that anti-Semitism must be "confronted and condemned everywhere it rears it very ugly head." He called for the imposition of the death penalty for "crimes like this."

The synagogue is located in the tree-lined residential neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, about 10 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh and the hub of Pittsburgh's Jewish community. The facade of the fortress-like concrete building is punctuated by rows of swirling, modernistic stained-glass windows illustrating the story of creation, the acceptance of God's law, the "life cycle" and "how human-beings should care for the earth and one another," according to its website. Among its treasures is a "Holocaust Torah," rescued from Czechoslovakia.

Its sanctuary can hold up to 1,250 people.

Eisenberg, the former synagogue president, said officials at Tree of Life had not gotten any threats that he knew of before the shooting. But he said security was a concern, and the synagogue had started working to improve it.

Chuck Diamond, a former rabbi at the synagogue who retired more than a year ago, said the building is locked during the week, and is outfitted with security cameras. "But on Sabbath it's an open door," he said.

"You know, you're always worried that something would happen," said Myron Snider, head of the cemetery committee for New Light Congregation, which meets at Tree of Life. Snider just got out of the hospital on Thursday and missed Saturday's service.

"But you never dream that it would happen like this," Snider added. "Just never ever dream that it would happen like this."

Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Michael Balsamo in Washington, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia, Gene Puskar in Pittsburgh, Marc Levy in Harrisburg and Allen G. Breed in Raleigh, N.C., and Michael Kunzelman in Silver Spring, Maryland, contributed to this report.

For AP's complete coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shootings: https://www.apnews.com/Shootings </s> The Latest on police shooting and protests in Charlotte, North Carolina (all times local):

The streets in Charlotte, North Carolina, are quiet Wednesday morning after angry protests over the fatal police shooting of a black man left officers injured and shut down an interstate.

Traffic is flowing again on Interstate 85, hours after protesters blocked the highway and television footage showed some apparently looting semi-trucks and setting their contents on fire.

No protesters could be seen around 5 a.m. but broken glass and rocks littered the ground where a police car had been vandalized during protests earlier. Less than 5 miles away, wooden pallets barricaded the entrance to a Wal-Mart that had apparently been looted.

The protests broke out Tuesday after 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott was fatally shot by a black officer at an apartment complex on the city's northeast side.

Demonstrators protesting the fatal shooting of a black man by a police officer in Charlotte, North Carolina, have shut down a small section of Interstate 85.

TV footage early Wednesday showed dozens of protesters on the highway facing a line of law enforcement officers. At one point a fire flared up.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation website shows a portion of the highway near UNC Charlotte is closed in both directions. The website says the closure is due to police activity.

Neither the North Carolina Highway Patrol nor Charlotte police could immediately be reached for comment.

The protest comes after police on Tuesday fatally shot 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott. Demonstrators had gathered earlier near the scene of the shooting before a smaller group moved to the highway. </s> A police shooting in East Pittsburgh was recorded in a graphic video that has spread on social media after being posted on Facebook.

Police have not released much information about the shooting, but the video shows officers stopping a car on a residential street. Two people get out of the car and run and shots can then be fired. One person, who has his back to the officers, appears to fall to the ground after the shots were heard. You can watch the video below. The video shows the shooting footage twice, once zoomed in:

After two shots are heard, the person recording the video gasps and can be heard saying, “why are they shooting at him? … Why are they shooting? All they did was run and they’re shooting at them?”

Another video posted on Facebook shows a person being taken into an ambulance and receiving chest compressions from a paramedic. You can watch that video, which is graphic, below:

Witnesses said on Facebook that the victim who was shot was a 13-year-old boy, and have said the teen died, but police have not confirmed those details. The identities of those involved in the video, including the police officers, have not been released.

According to WTAE-TV, the shooting happened Tuesday evening in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a borough of about 2,000 residents in Allegheny County that is 15 minutes outside of the city of Pittsburgh.

Police stopped a vehicle on Grandview Avenue and Howard Street in East Pittsburgh while investigating a shooting that happened about 8 p.m., according to the news station. Police said shots were fired during the traffic stop about 8:30 p.m. and one person was taken to the hospital.

One other person was arrested at the scene and the other is still being sought by officers, WTAE reports. The earlier shooting was reported about 8 p.m. Multiple 911 callers reported hearing shots fired and responding officers found a male victim in the 800 block of Kirkpatrick Avenue in North Braddock, according to WTAE. The condition of that shooting victim is not known. Police did not say why they stopped the car that led to the police shooting. Witnesses told police they saw a vehicle fleeing from the scene following the first shooting.

A Facebook Live video show the aftermath of the shooting in East Pittsburgh:

The Allegheny County Police Homicide Unit is investigating both incidents, according to WPXI-TV.

Police have not said if any weapons were found at the scene. Witnesses said the person who was shot was unarmed.

A large crime scene with several police officers remained near where the police-involved shooting happened late Tuesday night, according to KDKA-TV. Police said they were still searching the area for the person who fled from the vehicle and a state police helicopter was providing support.

East Pittsburgh officials have not commented about the shooting. The office of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto tweeted a statement clarifying the shooting did not happen in his city, “This incident did not occur in the City of Pittsburgh or involve its police force. East Pittsburgh is a suburb outside of our jurisdiction named for its location east of our city.” </s> A shooter opened fire during a baby naming ceremony at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Saturday and killed 11 people in an attack U.S. officials are investigating as a hate crime.

At least six other people were wounded, including four police officers who dashed to the scene, authorities said. No children were among the dead.

Police said a suspect, 46-year-old Robert Bowers, was in custody after the attack at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighbourhood. The suspect was taken to hospital and is in fair condition with multiple gunshot wounds, a local official said.

The gunman shouted "All Jews must die" when he stormed the synagogue, according to local media and authorities.

Bob Jones, the special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's office in Pittsburgh, said Bowers was not known to law enforcement and that investigators believe he was acting alone. The gunman used an assault rifle and three handguns in the attack, he said.

Police vehicles are deployed near the vicinity of the home of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect Robert Bowers in Baldwin, Pa., on Saturday. (John Altdorfer/Reuters)

"This is the most horrific crime scene I have seen in 22 years of police work," Jones said. "They were brutally murdered simply because of their faith."

Federal prosecutors charged Bowers on 29 counts, including using a firearm to commit murder.

Scott W. Brady, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, announced the charges late Saturday.

A news conference was scheduled Sunday to discuss the charges.

Thousands of people attended a vigil in Pittsburgh Saturday evening for the victims of the shooting. (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had earlier said the Justice Department would file hate crime and other criminal charges against the gunman that could lead to the death penalty.

"Hatred and violence on the basis of religion can have no place in our society," he said.

Thousands of people attended a vigil in Pittsburgh Saturday evening for the victims of the shooting.

Watch a witness to the shooting describe what she saw:

A witness describes what happened at fatal shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday. 1:52

The killings come amid a rash of high-profile attacks in an increasingly divided country, including the series of pipe bombs mailed over the past week to prominent Democrats and former officials.

Pittsburgh's Jewish community was shocked by the attack.

"Growing up ... you hear about the Holocaust and you hear stories about other places, but you can't imagine it would ever happen in your neighbourhood," Drew Barkley, executive director of Temple Sinai, another Pittsburgh synagogue, told CBC News.

"It's shocking ... We don't know why anti- Semitism exists the way it does ... It's such an ancient hatred."

Far-right social media presence

The social media site Gab.com said the alleged shooter had a profile on its website, which is popular with far-right extremists. The company said the account was verified after the shooting and matched the name of the gunman.

A man with the same name posted on Gab before the shooting that "HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in."

The Tree of Life Synagogue is in the Squirrel Hill neighbourhood, about 10 minutes away from downtown Pittsburgh. (CBC News)

HIAS is a nonprofit group that helps refugees around the world find safety and freedom. The organization says it is guided by Jewish values and history.

Bowers also recently posted a photo of a collection of three semi-automatic handguns he titled "my glock family," a reference to the firearms manufacturer. He also posted photos of bullet holes in person-sized targets at a firing range, touting the "amazing trigger" on a handgun he was offering for sale.

Gun debate

The shooting immediately reignited the longstanding national debate about guns: U.S. President Donald Trump said the outcome might have been different if the synagogue "had some kind of protection" from an armed guard, while Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf noted that once again, "dangerous weapons are putting our citizens in harm's way."

"It is a very horrific crime scene. It's one of the worst that I've seen and I've been on some plane crashes," said a visibly moved Wendell Hissrich, Pittsburgh's public safety director.

Watch U.S. President Donald Trump react to the shooting:

U.S. President Donald Trump says "something has to be done" about hate in the country in the wake of the deadly shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, which is "far more devastating than everybody originally thought." 6:27

The synagogue is located in the tree-lined residential neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, about 10 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh and the hub of Pittsburgh's Jewish community.

Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive officer of the Anti-Defamation League, said the group believes it is the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history.

"Our hearts break for the families of those killed and injured at the Tree of Life Synagogue, and for the entire Jewish community of Pittsburgh," he said.

International reaction

International reaction poured in Saturday afternoon. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter: "Canadians' hearts are with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh today, as they endured a horrific anti-Semitic attack while at prayer."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was "heartbroken and appalled" by the attack.

2/3 We have not received information that suggests an increased security threat in Canada. That said, it is important that our community remain vigilant and follow existing security protocols. If you see something, call police. —@CIJAinfo Want the Jewish community in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SquirrelHill?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SquirrelHill</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pittsburgh?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pittsburgh</a> to know that they are not alone. Jews in Canada and around the world are praying for you and the first responders who came to your aid. We stand together in the aftermath of this horrific act of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Antisemitism?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Antisemitism</a>. <a href="https://t.co/3yjPJLJQsq">https://t.co/3yjPJLJQsq</a> —@LevittMichael

"The entire people of Israel grieve with the families of the dead," Netanyahu said. "We stand together with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh. We stand together with the American people in the face of this horrendous anti-Semitic brutality. And we all pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded."

World Jewish Congress president Ronald S. Lauder called the shooting "an attack not just on the Jewish community, but on America as a whole."

Canadians’ hearts are with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh today, as they endured a horrific anti-Semitic attack while at prayer. May the families of those murdered be comforted, and may the injured recover quickly and fully. —@JustinTrudeau I was heartbroken and appalled by the murderous attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue today: <a href="https://t.co/NBMO31lMU2">pic.twitter.com/NBMO31lMU2</a> —@netanyahu

Trump called the shooting a "wicked act of mass murder" that "is pure evil, hard to believe and frankly something that is unimaginable."

Trump has at times been accused by critics of failing to adequately condemn hate, such as when he blamed "both sides" for the violence at a Charlottesville white supremacist rally.

On Saturday, he said that anti-Semitism "must be confronted anywhere and everywhere it appears."

'Surreal scene'

The synagogue is a fortress-like concrete building. Its facade is punctuated by rows of swirling, modernistic stained-glass windows illustrating the story of creation, the acceptance of God's law, the "life cycle" and "how human-beings should care for the earth and one another," according to its website. Among its treasures is a "Holocaust Torah" rescued from Czechoslovakia.

Its sanctuary can hold up to 1,250 guests.

Michael Eisenberg, the immediate past president of the Tree of Life Synagogue, lives about a block from the building.

He was getting ready for services when he received a phone call from a member who works with Pittsburgh's Emergency Services, saying he had been notified through scanner and other communications that there was an active shooter at their synagogue.

Police exchanged fire with the shooter before persuading him to surrender and taking him into custody. (Pam Panchak/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/Associated Press)

"I ran out of the house without changing and I saw the street blocked with police cars," Eisenberg said. "It was a surreal scene. And someone yelled, 'Get out of here.' I realized it was a police officer along the side of the house.

"I am sure I know all of the people, all of the fatalities," he went on. "I am just waiting to see."

Eisenberg said officials at the synagogue had not gotten any threats that he knew of prior to the shooting. The synagogue maintenance employees had recently checked all of the emergency exits and doors to make sure they were cleared and working.

Jeff Finkelstein of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh said local synagogues have done "lots of training on things like active shooters, and we've looked at hardening facilities as much as possible."
A police officer shoots and kills an unarmed black teenager in Pittsburgh, prompting protests in the following days.