Gunman Convicted in 2018 Pittsburgh Synagogue Attack

Facts

• On Friday, a federal jury in the US state of Pennsylvania found Robert Bowers guilty of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that killed 11 worshippers and injured seven others.¹
• He was convicted of all 63 charges, including hate crimes, obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs, and using a firearm to commit murder.²
• The 11 victims – aged 54 to 97 – belonged to all three congregations that shared the synagogue. The injured included five police officers.³
• Prosecutors claimed Bowers screamed, "All Jews must die!" when he broke into the synagogue brandishing an AR-15 semi-automatic weapon.⁴
• However, defense lawyers argued he had been blinded by "nonsensical and irrational" ideas about immigration and not necessarily driven by anti-Jewish hate.⁵
• Bowers, 50, faces the death penalty or life in prison for carrying out the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history. Sentencing is scheduled to start June 26 and is expected to last several weeks.⁶

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²CNN, ³CTVNews, ⁴Al Jazeera (a), ⁵Al Jazeera (b), and ⁶Associated Press.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by New York Times. Whether Bowers went to the synagogue to kill Jews out of hatred towards their religion or his belief that they were trying to change the US' demographic landscape, there's no justification for turning a sacred house of worship into a hunting ground. While his conviction will do little to ease the pain for victims' kin, it will serve as a deterrent for future anti semitic acts.
• Narrative B, as provided by Seattle Times. The Pittsburgh shooting was undoubtedly traumatic, and Bowers must be held accountable. Nonetheless, his mental health and law-abiding solitary life must be considered before giving him the death penalty. More importantly, if the US wants to end hate crimes, it must first address the elephant in the room — gun control.

Predictions