IRISH AMERICAN physician Dr Keith Murray has emerged as one of the unsung heroes from the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.
11 people were killed and six more injured when Robert Bowers opened fire in the busy synagogue last Saturday, October 27th.
Dr Murray is part of the city's Pittsburgh's Physicians Response Program and was one of the first responders on the scene who risked their lives to help others left stricken in the synagogue.
According to local news broadcaster KDKA the program is "a team of highly specialized medical professionals who treat victims on the scene, and even suit up with the SWAT teams and go directly into the line of fire."
"The minute an active shooter event starts, I find a couple of my SWAT guys and I go in directly with them," Dr. Murray explained to the CBS News affiliate.
"We always want to be there as soon as possible so that we can maximize the chances of letting anyone who is injured survive."
Dr Murray described to KDKA how events unfolded when they made their way inside the synagogue with the gunman, Bowers, still active at the time.
"We were on, I guess, the second-floor landing," he said.
"We were creating a CCP, casualty collection point, in anticipation that either we were going to get some injuries or that we were going to injure the actor, and at that point, that's when we did actually start to hear gunfire and we got an officer down radio transmission, which is something you never want to hear."
"He was one of the ones who was critically injured that we had to actually pull out of the fight and transport to Presbyterian Hospital."
Dr Murray and his team went from room to room, encountering victims and an injured woman who was quickly moved to safety.
With Bowers still on the loose, they knew a violent confrontation was likely imminent and that proved to be the case.
A shootout ensued that left one officer in need of treatment. Treatment Dr Murray duly provided. Bowers, meanwhile, was also injured and eventually surrendered to the authorities.
Despite the heroic actions of Dr Murray and the medics and SWAT officers on hand, the attack is still the most devastating attack on Jewish people ever witnessed on US soil.
Communities are already banding round to show support for the victims and families affected by the attack.
Two Muslim advocacy groups have already raised over $100,000 to help cover the costs incurred by those families dealing with the sudden loss of a loved one in the assault.
