Posted by Investigators say Bowers opened fire with an AR-15 rifle and other weapons during worship services inside the Tree of Life synagogue building, killing eight men and three women.
Pretrial hearing set in Pittsburgh synagogue massacre case
FILE-In this Oct. 27, 2019 file photo a man places an American flag outside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on the first anniversary of the shooting at the synagogue, that killed 11 worshippers. An evidentiary hearing in the case of Robert Bowers a western Pennsylvania truck driver accused of killing 11 people at the Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, is expected to get underway inside a federal courtroom in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)October 12, 2021By Ramesh SantanamShareTweetShare
PITTSBURGH (AP) — An evidentiary hearing in the case of a western Pennsylvania truck driver accused of killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue three years ago is expected to get underway inside a federal courtroom in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors and attorneys for Robert Bowers will participate in the pretrial hearing before U.S. District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose.
Authorities allege Bowers, 49, of Baldwin, Pennsylvania, killed 11 people and wounded seven, including five police officers, at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018. It’s considered the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.
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Investigators say Bowers opened fire with an AR-15 rifle and other weapons during worship services inside the Tree of Life synagogue building, killing eight men and three women. He was arrested after a police tactical team tracked him down and shot him.
Bowers faces more than 60 federal charges, including hate crimes violations, obstruction of religious belief and the use of a firearm during a crime of violence. Bowers has pleaded not guilty. He faces a possible death penalty if convicted.
Three separate congregations — Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New Light — were conducting Sabbath services in different areas of the large building in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood when the attack happened.