Police say that at least six people were hurt when gunfire broke out Friday outside a church in Pittsburgh where a funeral was being held.
At a news conference Friday afternoon, Pittsburgh Police Commander Richard Ford said that one of the people who was first said to be in critical condition is now in stable condition. Five other people are still being treated for injuries.
Ford said that at least one of the victims in stable condition was taken to the city’s Children’s Hospital.
Police said that two “people of interest” were taken into custody Friday night in connection with the shooting. The people who were taken into custody were not named, and the authorities did not say how they were thought to be connected to the shooting.
Special Agent Robert Cucinotta told CNN that agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives were at the scene to help the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police with the situation. He declined to say anything else.
Shortly after noon on Friday, two ShotSpotter alerts were sent to the police. Ford said that the first alert meant that five rounds were fired, and the second alert meant that 15 rounds were fired.
When the police arrived, they found that the gunfire was coming from outside the church. Ford said that they think at least some of the people who were shot were at the funeral. Ford said that it seems clear that the shooting was meant to hurt someone.
“We do feel that there are people out there that will resort to violence through guns, and that is a danger to anybody when that might take place,” Ford said.
Ford also said that alleged shooters were more than one, but he didn’t give any more information about possible suspects. Ford said that the investigation is still going on and that video of the incident is being looked at.
Ford said that four of the six people who were shot went to nearby hospitals on their own and that two were taken to hospitals by paramedics. He didn’t say how old they were or anything else that could help find them because police are still trying to contact their families.
Ford says that all schools near where the shooting happened were told that it is now safe for students to leave.
Officials Ask the Public for Help
The Rev. Brenda Gregg, the senior pastor of Destiny of Faith Church, said that in her 30 years of working in pastoral ministry, Friday’s shooting “has been one of the most devastating days of [her] life.”
Gregg added it was a difficult time “doing a funeral for a young man and being able to work with his family to bring closure to what had happened in their lives, that we had people come to church and fire guns after people.”
Gregg said that even though there was a shooting, the church will still have its Halloween harvest event to bring people together.
“As we think about it, I think we’re stronger together, and that we want to continue to have those things that would make sense in the community, and that is we need a place for our children to come,” Gregg said.
The mayor of Pittsburgh, Ed Gainey, said that the community and the families of the victims are hurting and that the shooting on Friday is something that no one expected to happen.
“Just never could have imagined it. Never, that we would shoot up holy ground,” said Gainey. “We will be working around the clock to do whatever is necessary to apprehend those that did this heinous thing today.”
Gainey also asked people in the community to come forward with any information that could help the police with their investigation and help the community get over what happened.
“If you work with us, if you talk to us, we will get justice, and we will get healing,” Gainey said.
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