October 27, 2018:
While morning services were being held at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA, a gunman opened fire on the congregation of 60-100 people in an anti-Semitic act of violence. It is the deadliest shooting on the Jewish community to take place in the United States in history, leaving 11 people dead and several others wounded. Armed with a semi-automatic rifle, the gunman shouted, “All Jews must die!” before shooting for nearly 20 minutes. —(Politico) When authorities arrived, the gunman fired on police, who returned fire. Roughly an hour after police arrived, the gunman surrendered to police custody. He was charged by the US Department of Justice with 29 federal crimes. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Date of event: October 27, 2018
Impact:
- 11 fatalities; 7 injuries including four police officers and suspect
- 29 federal criminal counts; 36 state criminal counts
Related Resources:
HSDL Featured Topics: Active Shooters | Security in Places of Worship | Hate and Antisemitism
HSDL Search: Worship | Antisemitism
(Photo: Tree of Life Synagogue, Pittsburgh, PA/Credit: CTO Henry; wiki commons)