Pittsburgh shooting suspect: ‘I just want to kill Jews’
The man accused of killing 11 people in a shooting rampage at a Pittsburgh synagogue carried an arsenal of weapons and a virulent hatred for the unsuspecting targets who had gathered to worship in the heart of the local Jewish community.
Court documents provide glimpses of suspect Robert Bowers and the 20 minutes of bloodshed Saturday at the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
Bowers, 46, is scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate Monday.
Officials said Bowers burst into the synagogue, shouting anti-Semitic epithets as he opened fire on the congregants. Weapons recovered included a Colt AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and three Glock handguns.
The criminal complaint says Bowers made statements “evincing an animus towards people of the Jewish faith.” Bowers told one law enforcement officer, in substance, that “they’re committing genocide to my people. I just want to kill Jews,” according to the complaint.
Bowers repeated comments regarding genocide, his desire to kill Jewish people, and that Jewish people needed to die, the complaint adds.
Federal authorities have said that police engaged the suspect as he attempt- ed to flee the synagogue, driving Bowers back inside. The suspected gunman ultimately surrendered to officers after he was wounded multiple times, authorities said.
Bowers was charged with 29 criminal counts, including 11 federal hate-crime charges. Eleven counts of using a firearm to kill carry a maximum penalty of death, though no decision has been made about the death penalty.
Bowers had been posting anti-Semitic rants on social media. Minutes before entering the building, he apparently posted to Gab, a fringe website favored by white nationalists.
“I can’t sit by an watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics. I’m going in,” the post said.
The Anti-Defamation League has called the attack the deadliest against the Jewish community in U.S. history.
Police Chief Scott Schubert said one officer was treated for his injuries and released Saturday. Another was expected to be released from the hospital today. Schubert lauded his officers for running into the danger, and he issued condolences to families of the victims.
“We have a strong relationship with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh,” said Police Chief Scott Schubert. “I just want to say that we grieve with you.”