AWFUL

Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Survivor Clung to Dead Friend, Doctor Says

“It is a scene that you never want to see,” Dr. Kevin Murray said.

A doctor who treated victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting on Saturday saw a woman clinging to her dead friend while the shooter was still active in the building, CBS News reports. Dr. Keith Murray, tactical EMS director at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said he was dressed in “full SWAT gear” when he entered one section of the synagogue and came across five bodies on the floor. “The fifth one was not moving at the time, but once we encountered her, we realized that she was shot, she was in shock, and she was simply holding onto her deceased friend,” Murray told the network. “I think this was just four people coming to the synagogue to pray with friends… They were facing forward, looking at the rabbi, and the [gunman] walked up behind them and just started shooting.” Murray then described how he heard knocking in the building, which he later realized was officers getting into a gunfight with the shooter on the second floor. Murray and the SWAT team were also able to remove a wounded officer from the synagogue. “You are walking into this place of worship—it is aesthetically beautiful. You have to reconcile that image with the fact that you are now looking at four dead people,” he said. “It is a scene that you never want to see.” Robert Bowers appeared in court Monday for allegedly killing 11 people at Saturday's shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue. He faces 29 federal charges, including two hate crimes charges.

FALLOUT

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