Montgomery County Council Releases Statement on Pittsburgh and Kentucky Shootings

The Montgomery County Council issues the following statement on the tragic mass shooting that took place in the Jewish neighborhood of Squirrel Hill in Pittsburg on Saturday and the shooting of two innocent bystanders in Kentucky at a Kroger grocery store on Sunday.

“On Saturday morning, our nation endured another horrific and senseless tragedy driven by hate when 11 people lost their lives and six more were wounded by a gunman during Shabbat services at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We send our condolences to the victims, their family members, and the entire Jewish community.  In the midst of our grief, we must also all recommit ourselves to stamp out anti-Semitism and to continue the fight for gun control.

“We remember the victims who lost their lives at the Tree of Life Synagogue:
Joyce Fienberg, 75; Richard Gottfried, 65; Rose Mallinger, 97; Jerry Rabinowitz, 66; Cecil Rosenthal, 59; David Rosenthal, 54; Bernice Simon, 84; Sylvan Simon, 86; Daniel Stein, 71; Melvin Wax, 88; and Irving Younger 69. We stand united with our Jewish friends, relatives, and residents yesterday, today, and always.

“We also mourn the loss of Maurice Stallard and Vickie Jones, who were shot outside a Jeffersontown Kroger grocery store in Kentucky on Sunday.  We are sickened by yet another act of senseless violence.

“On Sunday, another gunman attempted to enter a predominantly African American church in Kentucky, and when he couldn’t gain entry, he moved to a nearby Kroger grocery store where he gunned down two innocent bystanders, Stallard and Jones.

“We cannot allow our places of worship to become places of fear.  We are committed to working to help protect all our houses of worship and our residents from these horrific acts of violence and domestic terrorism.”

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