Pittsburgh shooting survivor and injured cop guests at State of Union
The two men were among 13 guests of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on Tuesday.
By MARCY OSTER/JTAUpdated: FEBRUARY 6, 2019 06:06Flowers and other items have been left as memorials outside the Tree of Life synagogue following last Saturday's shooting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 3, 2018(photo credit: ALAN FREED/REUTERS)
A Holocaust survivor who escaped the shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue where 11 worshippers were killed and a police officer who was shot several times battling the gunman were special guests at the State of the Union addressThe two men were be among 13 guests of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on Tuesday, and will sit with the first lady in the House of Representatives chamber in the Capitol Building on Tuesday night, the White House announced .Judah Samet escaped the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue building because he was several minutes late arriving at services on October 27. He told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he sat in his car in a handicap spot in the synagogue parking lot after he heard the shooting and was warned away by another man.Samet, 81, immigrated to pre-state Israel after World War II and was there when it was declared a state in 1948. He served as a paratrooper and radio man in the Israeli army and moved to the United States in the 1960s, according to a statement from the White House.He met with the president on Tuesday at noon ahead of the address. "I going to say a Jewish blessing that you say only when you meet a head of state," Samet told the newspaper. "I have permission to do it."Police Officer Timothy Matson, 41, was shot more than a half-dozen times inside the synagogue during the attack. He was part of a SWAT team that exchanged fire with gunman Robert Bowers on the third floor of the synagogue, according to the Tribune-Review. Matson remained in critical condition for days after the shooting. Five police officers in total were injured in the attack."The Pittsburgh Public Safety Department is honored that Officer Matson, on behalf of all city first responders, is being recognized for his life-saving efforts," said spokesman Chris Togneri.
