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Robert Bowers, who had frequently posted anti-Semitic slurs and
conspiracy theories online, is accused of bursting into the Tree
of Life synagogue on Oct. 27 armed with three handguns and a
semi-automatic rifle, then firing on congregants as he shouted
"All Jews must die." The shooting in the heart of the city's
heavily Jewish Squirrel Hill neighborhood marked the deadliest
anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.
Bowers, a 46-year-old former truck driver, could face the death
penalty if convicted.
He pleaded not guilty in November to 44 initial counts,
including using a firearm to commit murder and obstruction of
religious exercise resulting in death. On Jan. 29, a federal
grand jury indicted Bowers on 19 additional charges, including
hate crime violations.
Among those killed were a 97-year-old woman, two brothers in
their 50s and a married couple in their 80s. Two civilians and
five police officers were wounded before the suspect was shot by
police and surrendered.
On the day of the attack, Bowers, a Pittsburgh resident, said
online, "I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered.
Screw your optics, I'm going in."
The attack followed a wave of politically motivated pipe bombs
mailed to prominent Democrats and heightened national tensions
ahead of November's midterm congressional elections.
It also fueled a national debate over the rhetoric of U.S.
President Donald Trump, who critics say contributed to a surge
in white nationalist and neo-Nazi activity. The Trump
administration has rejected the notion he has encouraged
far-right extremists who have embraced him.
(Reporting by Chriss Swaney; Additional reporting and writing by
Jackie Botts; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
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