Thousands of people gathered for a vigil in the Squirrel Hill neighbourhood Saturday night to honour the victims of a mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa that killed 11 and injured six.
Under candle light and light rain, the crowd chanted and sang Jewish songs in the emotional gathering.
Cody Murphy, 17, was one organizer of the vigil, and lives just up the street from the synagogue where the shooting took place.
WATCH: People sing songs, lay flowers and candles at Pittsburgh vigil after shooting
“You could hear the gunshots from my house,” Murphy said. Murphy took the initiative to start the vigil because “no one wants to be alone right now.”
WATCH: Pittsburgh vigil organizer says they ‘can’t move on’ after synagogue shooting
Police have arrested and charged suspected gunman Robert Bowers, 46, with 29 criminal counts on Saturday. Police radio transmissions confirm that he made anti-Semitic remarks during the shooting.
“We have to stop it,” said Linda Martin, a resident who attended the vigil. “Our leaders have to stop it, but they’re not. We have to stay civilized.”
WATCH: Crowd chants ‘vote’ at vigil for Pittsburgh shooting victims
At one point at the vigil, a chant of “vote, vote, vote” broke out. Some attendees blamed the shooting on the nation’s political climate, and said they took little solace in the planned visit to Pittsburgh by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Murphy supported that voting is one way to make a change.
—With files from Reuters and Associated Press
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