The Pittsburgh Penguins captain and head coach are offering their support in the wake of a deadly shooting at a synagogue in their host city.
A white gunman, allegedly shouting anti-Semitic statements, burst into the Tree of Life synagogue on Saturday morning, killing at least 11 people and injuring six others.
“We woke up to that terrible news this morning and our thoughts and prayers are with all the victims and the families affected by what happened this morning,” said Sidney Crosby, whose team is in Vancouver for a game against the Canucks at 7 p.m. PT.
“Knowing Pittsburgh, we’ll stick together and rally around them and be there to help in any way we can.”
The Canucks organization said it is planning a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting before Saturday night’s game.
WATCH: Multiple people dead, suspect in custody after Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
The Halifax native also weighed in on what Pittsburgh means to him, saying he feels lucky to call the adoptive city home.
“Just a great community, great city and a place that I feel pretty fortunate to be able to live.”
WATCH: Mass casualty unit arrives at scene of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan also offered his support to the now-grieving city.
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“On behalf of the Penguins’ organization we just want to express our condolences and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the tragedy in Pittsburgh that took place today,” Sullivan said.
The suspect in the shooting, 46-year-old Robert Bowers, is in custody, and has been taken to hospital with an injury to his rib cage following a shootout with police.
When he was arrested, Bowers was carrying an assault-style rifle and several handguns, according to police.
The FBI has taken over the investigation and are calling the incident a hate crime. Part of the investigation is focusing on social media posts by Bowers targeting Jews.
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