A West Boca Raton family lost a family member in the shooting in Pittsburgh on Saturday. A gunman entered the Tree of Life synagogue and opened fire, killing 11 people.
Richard Gottfried, 56, was one of the 11 people who was killed. His nephew, 16-year-old Jacob Gottfried from Boca Raton, was visiting his family in Pittsburgh when the shooting happened.
Jacob Gottfried said he is in shock over his uncle’s death.
“Typically when you think about these kinds of things, they are one in a million, like ‘No this will never happen to me,’” said Gottfried.
Richard Gottfried was a dentist who would offer dental care to refugees and immigrant. Gottfried said he was a giving man who he described as someone who cared about his religion.
Gottfried said he was close with his uncle and would share his love for sports and adventures with him.
“He loved to do anything, I mean like anything, whenever I was little, and he would come down to Florida, no matter what I was doing he would always ask, hey can I play with you,” he said.
Gottfried said he saw his uncle Friday night when the family got together for dinner.
He said he is asking for change, not political or for gun control, he wants a simpler change, he wants more kindness.
“How about we be nice in the world and be nice to people. I just think it starts not with the change in politics but the change within us,” he said.
The family said they plan to get to Richard’s burial service on Thursday.