(PITTSBURGH) — A federal death penalty trial began Tuesday for the man accused of killing 11 worshippers in a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, with victims’ families looking on from the courtroom.

Robert Bowers allegedly stormed the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, gunning down 11 people in the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history. Bowers allegedly told investigators after his arrest that he wanted to kill Jewish people, according to a criminal complaint.

The jury is comprised of 11 women and seven men, and includes an intensive care nurse, a new father and a veteran.

The prosecution began its opening statements Tuesday by introducing the jurors to the victims, which included a 97-year-old woman who often read the “Prayer for Peace” at Shabbat services and a husband and wife in their 80s who were married in the same sanctuary where they were killed.

Bowers, according to authorities, made posts on the social media site Gab and allegedly posted and reposted photos with antisemitic tropes.

Bowers — armed with a semi-automatic assault-style rifle and three handguns — allegedly posted online minutes before the massacre: “I can’t stand by and watch my people get slaughtered. … I’m going in,” according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said Bowers moved “methodically” through the synagogue and shot many of his victims at close range.

Prosecutor Soo Song warned the jurors that some testimony and evidence may be difficult to hear, including survivors recounting their “terror, confusion and pain.”

Bowers, who faces charges including hate crimes resulting in death, has pleaded not guilty.

The defense began its opening statement by admitting that Bowers was the shooter, calling his actions “incomprehensible” and “inexcusable.”

Bowers “shot every person he saw … and injured first responders who came to their rescue,” defense attorney Judy Clarke said. “There will be no question that this was a planned act and that he killed 11 people and injured others.”

But Clarke asked the jurors to look at the evidence and “scrutinize his intent.”

Testimony is expected to last three weeks. If Bowers is convicted, the sentencing phase could last an additional six weeks.

The defense is expected to argue during the sentencing phase that Bowers suffers from mental illness including schizophrenia, functional brain impairments and health issues such as epilepsy. The judge required Bowers to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, the results of which will remain under seal unless the case moves to a sentencing phase and his team proceeds with a mental health defense.

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(DAVENPORT, Iowa) — In the wake of the partial collapse of an Iowa apartment building, five people remain unaccounted for, including two people who may still be inside the building, officials announced Tuesday.

Officials have met with the families of the two people who may be inside, Davenport Mayor Mike Matson said at a news conference Tuesday, calling it an “unthinkable situation.”

On Monday, officials had said there was no credible information that anyone was missing and the city was moving forward with plans for staging a demolition beginning Tuesday.

Officials said Tuesday that instead of beginning a demolition, they’re now working to determine the best way to conduct another search, noting that the building is unstable and continues to worsen as time progresses.

The six-story building partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon in Davenport, a city in Iowa’s Scott County located along the Mississippi River. The building housed a total of 84 apartments, including residential and commercial. The cause of the collapse is unknown.

More than a dozen people evacuated the building at the time of the partial collapse and eight people were rescued in the 24 hours that followed.

Over 150 personnel took part in “extensive rescue operations,” using thermal imaging, drones and a team of service dogs in an attempt to locate victims within the structure, according to city officials.

Then, on Monday night, after officials said they believed no one was missing, a ninth victim was extracted.

A crowd of people gathered at the site on Monday, calling for “accountability” and pleading with officials to postpone demolition because they believed more survivors could be inside.

Johnnie Woods told ABC News on Tuesday morning that her nephew, building resident Brandon Colvin, remains unaccounted for. She expressed her frustration that officials would possibly continue with a demolition as he remains missing.

“It’s like burying them in the rubble,” Woods said. “This is ridiculous.”

“We feel like they don’t care,” she added. “Our relatives, loved ones don’t count.”

But Amy Anderson, whose relative, Ryan Hitchcock, is also unaccounted for, asked protesters to stand down at Tuesday’s news conference.

“The city does have a plan,” she said. “Ryan wouldn’t want anyone else to put their lives at risk to [help], unfortunately, somebody who probably has not survived.”

Anderson said city officials have “given us their word that they’re going to treat that already collapsed area with sensitivity” to work to recover any remains.

“I plead with our community just to let the city do their job,” she said. “We don’t want anyone else hurt.”

ABC News’ Laryssa Demkiw, Andy Fies, Jessica Gorman, Ahmad Hemingway and Alex Perez

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(HOLLYWOOD, Fla.) — Nine people, including children, were injured in a shooting along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk on Florida’s east coast Monday night after a dispute broke out between two groups, according to police.

Four children between the ages of 1 and 17 were shot, including a baby between 15 and 18 months old, according to Hollywood police spokesperson Deanna Bettineschi.

The other five victims were adults ages 25 to 65.

Six patients — four children and two adults — remain hospitalized on Tuesday, all in stable condition, according to hospital officials. The other three adults were treated and discharged.

Hollywood Beach Mayor Josh Levy said “multiple” people have been detained.

“No stone will be left unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” Levy said in a statement Tuesday. “We will utilize every available resource to apprehend those responsible.”

“It is completely unacceptable that innocent people spending time with family on a holiday weekend have been affected by a shooting altercation between two groups who came into our city with guns and no regard for the safety of the law abiding public around them,” Levy added.

ABC News’ Darren Reynolds, Peter Charalambous and Okelo Pena contributed to this report.

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