Officials: Synagogue shooter tended to by Jewish doctors, nurses
(FOX NEWS) -- Jewish doctors and nurses at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh put their personal feelings aside to help save the life of the man who allegedly claimed he wanted to "kill all the Jews" as he opened fire at a synagogue and murdered 11 worshipers.
Robert Bowers, 46, was shot multiple times himself and taken to AGH. In addition to killing eight men and three women, he wounded six other people, including four police officers, before surrendering Saturday.
"He was taken to my hospital and he's shouting, 'I want to kill all the Jews,'" Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, president of Allegheny General Hospital and a member of the Tree of Life Synagogue, told ABC. "The first three people who took care of him were Jewish."
MORE: 11 dead, 6 injured in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting | Police: Synagogue gunman said he wanted all Jews to die
Another nurse, whose father is a rabbi, "came in from a mass casualty drill and took care of this gentleman."
Cohen, who lives in the area and heard gunfire from his house, was one of the first responders on the scene.
"I was standing there…and you could start hearing very quickly what was going on," he said.
Cohen was quick to credit his doctors, nurses and hospital staff for their efforts.
"We are here to take care of sick people. We're not here to judge you. We're not here to ask 'Do you have insurance or do you not have insurance?' We're here to take care of people who need our help," he said.
According to Cohen, he and Bowers had a brief conversation at the hospital.
"When I stopped in, I asked him how he was doing. Was he in pain? And he said, 'No. He was fine,'" Cohen said.
Cohen says Bowers then asked him who he was.
"I said I'm Dr. Cohen, president of the hospital. Then I turned around and left," he said. "The FBI agent who was guarding him said, 'I don't know if I could have done that.' And I said, 'If you were in my shoes, I'm sure you could.'"
Bowers appeared briefly in federal court in a wheelchair and handcuffs Monday to face charges he killed 11 people in what is believed to be the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.
He was charged in a 29-count federal criminal complaint that included counts of obstructing the exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death -- a hate crime -- and using a gun to commit murder.
Bowers was also charged under state law with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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