Federal charges are being filed against 46-year-old Robert Bowers for shooting and killing at least 11 people and injuring several others at the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburgh.
According to a statement from United States Attorney of the Western District of Pennsylvania Scott W. Brady and FBI Special Agent Robert Jones, Bowers will be charged with 11 counts of obstruction of exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, eleven counts of use of a firearm to commit murder, four courts of obstruction of exercise of religious beliefs resulting in bodily injury to a public safety officer, three counts of use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
“The crimes of violence are based upon the federal civil rights laws prohibiting hate crimes,” Brady and Jones said. “The FBI in Pittsburgh is leading the investigation.”
Bowers reportedly shouted, “All Jews must die!” during the shooting and had a slew of anti-Semitic posts on the far-right social media platform Gab.
More to come…
