US President Donald Trump on Saturday called for handing out death penalty to those responsible for mass shootings after multiple fatalities were reported from a synagogue in Pittsburg. A gunman opened fire at a Jewish synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh on Saturday, with up to eight people feared killed, local media reports said. Among the injured are three police officers. The shooter, said to be a bearded white male, has been taken into custody. He was taken to hospital as he was injured during the exchange of fire with the police.

Describing the situation as "far more devastating" than he previously thought, Trump reiterated his call for arming people at places like this so that the shooter could have been prevented from going on a mass shooting. Initial reports said that this was a hate crime. According to the KDKA Radio station, the gunman walked into the building and yelled, "all Jews must die". The tragic shooting took place at "Tree of Life" Congregation Synagogue at Squirell Hill in Pittsburg, where a large number of people had gathered for a morning service. Trump, before boarding Air Force One at Andrews Joint Airforce base for events in Indianapolis, underscored the need to "stiffen up" laws regarding the death penalty.