United States Attorney Scott W.

Brady
Western District of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 29, 2019
WWW.JUSTICE.GOV/USAO/PAW

Additional Charges Filed in Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting

Robert Bowers Charged with 63 Counts Including Hate Crimes Resulting in Death
PITTSBURGH – A federal grand jury sitting in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of
Pennsylvania charged a Pennsylvania man with additional federal hate crimes and firearms offenses
for his conduct during the October 27, 2018 shootings at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Robert Bowers, 46, of Baldwin, Pennsylvania, was charged in a 63-count Superseding Indictment
returned today. The original Indictment filed on October 31, 2018 charged Bowers with 44 counts.
The Superseding Indictment adds 13 violations of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate
Crimes Prevention Act, as well as corresponding counts for discharging a firearm during those crimes
of violence. The Superseding Indictment specifically alleges that Bowers willfully caused bodily
injury to 11 deceased and 2 surviving victims because of their actual and perceived religion.

According to the Superseding Indictment, on October 27, 2018, Bowers drove to the Tree of Life
Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where members of the Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New
Light Jewish congregations gathered to engage in religious worship. Bowers entered the building
armed with multiple firearms, including three Glock .357 handguns and a Colt AR-15 rifle. While
inside the Tree of Life Synagogue, Bowers opened fire, killing and injuring members of the three
congregations, as well as injuring multiple responding police officers as they attempted to rescue
surviving victims.

The Superseding Indictment further alleges that on October 10, 2018, Bowers posted statements on
the website gab.com that were critical of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and affiliated
congregations hosting refugee-related events. That list of congregations included the Dor Hadash
Jewish congregation of Pittsburgh. Before entering the Tree of Life Synagogue on October 27, 2018,
Bowers posted the following on the website gab.com: “HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our
people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”
According to the Superseding Indictment, while inside the Tree of Life Synagogue, Bowers made
statements indicating his desire to “kill Jews.”

Specifically, the Superseding Indictment charges:

• Eleven counts of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death;

• Eleven counts of hate crimes resulting in death;
• Two counts of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs involving an attempt to kill
 and use of a dangerous weapon and resulting in bodily injury;
• Two counts of hate crimes involving an attempt to kill;
• Eight counts of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs involving an attempt to kill
and use of a dangerous weapon, and resulting in bodily injury to public safety officers;
• Four counts of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs involving use of a dangerous
weapon and resulting in bodily injury to public safety officers;
• Twenty-five counts of discharge of a firearm during these crimes of violence.

The victims include 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life Synagogue who were killed, 2 congregants
who were critically injured by Bowers and 12 congregants who escaped unharmed. Additionally,
the victims include 5 responding police officers who were injured while attempting to rescue
surviving victims and apprehend Bowers.

Assistant United States Attorneys Troy Rivetti and Soo C. Song, along with DOJ Trial Attorney Julia
Gegenheimer, are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Brady commended the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the
Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Allegheny County Police, which conducted the investigation
leading to the Superseding Indictment in this case. Brady also recognized and thanked the dozens
of federal, state and local law enforcement officers who assisted in the investigation.

The defendant faces a maximum possible penalty of life without parole, followed by a consecutive
sentence of 250 years’ imprisonment. Further, twenty-two counts in the Superseding Indictment are
capital-eligible offenses. Should the Attorney General of the United States determine that the
circumstances of the offenses are such that a sentence of death is justified, the law requires that notice
be filed with the court at a reasonable time before trial.

A Superseding Indictment is a formal accusation of conduct, not evidence of guilt. A defendant is

presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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