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Gov. Scott Orders More Patrols After Synagogue Deaths

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Daylina Miller/Health News Florida
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Florida's governor has ordered state troopers to increase patrols at religious institutions statewide in the wake of a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

In a statement Saturday, Gov. Rick Scott said the shooting that killed 11 people at The Tree of Life Synagogue was "an act of pure evil and hatred."

Scott said the Florida Highway Patrol would work with local law enforcement agencies to bolster community safety. He said everyone deserved to express their religious beliefs safely and peacefully.

In a separate statement, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said his deputies would conduct extra patrols at Jewish centers and synagogues until further notice.

Demings called the Pittsburgh shooting "another senseless act of gun violence against a place of worship."