By: Kylie Mason
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania – On Saturday, October 27th, 2018 the morning services were just beginning at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At around 9:54 am, 46-year old Robert Bowes entered the synagogue with an AR-15 type of assault weapon and three handguns. Bowes began shooting into the crowd of members, spewing anti-Semitic slurs as he did so.
Local police and SWAT team members were dispatched immediately. Two first responding police officers, two SWAT team members and two individuals not associated with the Synagogue were shot when they got to the scene. A total of 11 people are dead as a result of this mass shooting.
Bowes attempted to leave the synagogue but was met with two SWAT team members at the door. Bowes then barricaded himself in a 3rd-floor room of the synagogue as a shoot-out with police commenced. As some point, Bowes was shot, although it is unknown whether it was due to his own gun or from a police officer.
Bowes was then taken into custody and brought to a local hospital where he is reportedly in a stable condition.
The Tree of Life Synagogue has stood in the heart of a majority-Jewish neighborhood of Squirrel Hill in Pittsburg for over 150 years. This event, what some residents are calling one of the worst acts of anti-Semitic violence within the United States, has shaken the community to its core.
Bowes, unknown to the FBI before this event, was discovered to be an avid anti-Semitic. His account on the free speech app, Gab, popular with right-wing individuals, was littered with anti-Jew and Judaism posts. From blaming the Jewish nonprofit HIAS for bringing “killers” into the United States, to stating “Jews are the children of Satan” to even accusing President Donald Trump of not representing the country’s interests by allowing “a kike infestation” into the United States.
The owners of the app Gab have archived, deleted and handed Bowes’ account over to the authorities. Gab has made a statement which says that the app and the company behind it do not support terrorism of any kind through their app. Gab continues to cooperate fully with the authorities on this matter.
The FBI has deemed the crimes committed by Bowes to be hate crimes and revealed that Bowes had 21 guns registered to him. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made comments seeking hate crime charges for Bowes as quickly as possible.
President Trump has made several comments regarding the mass shooting. President Trump had commented to the press that if there had been an armed gunman inside the synagogue, the members would have been able to better protect themselves. President Trump also called for Bowes to receive the death penalty, as it is legal in Pennsylvania, but has not been used in over 20 years. President Trump commented that he would be visiting the community of Squirrel Hill but has not given a statement dictating a date for that visit.
For More Information Please Visit:
BBC World News – Pittsburgh Shotting: What We Know So Far – 27 October 2018
