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Pittsburgh Officials Thank Public For Support In Wake Of Synagogue Shooting

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pittsburgh officials are thanking the public for their continued support following a shooting inside a Squirrel Hill synagogue, which left 11 people dead.

Several other people were injured, including four police officers, when a gunman walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday and opened fire.

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Women embrace in front of memorial flowers on October 28, 2018 outside of the Tree of Life Synagogue after a shooting there left 11 people dead in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018. (Photo Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said the support from the community for first responders has been much appreciated.

"I'd like to thank the public for the outpouring of support. I mean, the food has just been incredible - the food, the drinks. But, I think more importantly for the public to go up to the first responders, whether they're paramedics, EMTs, firefighters or the police and just thank them. That goes a long way. They've been through a lot over the last 24-36 hours and it's not over yet," Hissrich said.

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Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert praised the response of not only his officers, but others from around the area.

"We're very fortunate in western Pennsylvania to have a strong working relationship with a lot of the agencies in the area. When this came out, units from all over the city responded. It went out to our brother and sister officers around the county and our SWAT teams train with other SWAT teams around the region and there was a number of those that responded. It was incredible, for me, being here to witness our officers both on-duty and off-duty who were helping and working with the rescue team and medics to help get some of the injured our and to help rescue some of the people who were still inside the synagogue and get them to safety. It's an incredible partnership between the local, county, state and federal agencies. We're second to none when it comes to that," Schubert said.

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Hissrich also praised the response of suburban emergency medical services that came to the aide of the Pittsburgh crews.

"It's the same with the emergency medical services. There were ambulances from the suburbs. We had staff, our EMTs and paramedics came in from home. We were able to staff seven additional medic units. The outlying suburban units covered the city calls because even though we had this event going on, we still have to maintain public safety throughout the city," Hissrich said.

Meanwhile, a memorial outside the synagogue continues to grow as the community mourns the victims.

And, a GoFundMe campaign has already raised more than $550,000 for the victims and the synagogue.

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