On October 27, 2018, a gunman killed eleven worshippers and wounded six others, including four police officers, during Shabbat morning services at the Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Robert Bowers was convicted on all 63 federal counts in 2023 and sentenced to death.
Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha synagogue facade — Credit: daveynin from United States · CC BY 2.0
On the morning of October 27, 2018, three congregations — Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha, New Light Congregation, and Congregation Dor Hadash — were holding Shabbat services inside the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when a gunman opened fire. The attacker, later identified as Robert Gregory Bowers, parked outside the building, entered through a shattered window, and moved through the synagogue's ground floor, chapel, and basement over roughly 20 minutes, shooting congregants as he encountered them. Eleven people were killed and six others were wounded, including four police officers who confronted Bowers during the attack. Officials described it as the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in American history at the time.
Bowers was armed with a Colt AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and three Glock .357 SIG pistols; all eleven fatalities were caused by the rifle. He engaged police in multiple exchanges of gunfire, including a firefight after tactical teams entered the building, before being shot multiple times and surrendering.
Bowers was charged with 63 federal crimes, including hate crimes, obstruction of the free exercise of religious belief resulting in death, and use of a firearm during a crime of violence, along with 36 state charges that were held in abeyance. He pleaded not guilty and his defense offered a guilty plea in exchange for life without parole, which federal prosecutors declined, pursuing the death penalty instead. The federal trial began May 30, 2023, with prosecutors calling sixty witnesses and the defense calling none; defense counsel conceded Bowers had killed the victims but contested his specific intent. On June 16, 2023, Bowers was found guilty on all 63 counts. Following a sentencing phase in which the defense presented evidence of mental illness and brain abnormality and prosecutors emphasized his planning and antisemitic motivation, a federal jury unanimously sentenced him to death on August 2, 2023; he was formally sentenced the following day. He was transferred to federal death row at USP Terre Haute in August 2023, and an appeal for a new trial was denied in May 2024. In December 2024, President Biden commuted the sentences of most federal death row inmates but excluded Bowers, citing his hate-motivated mass murder conviction.
The attack prompted widespread national and international condemnation, including statements from Israeli, Vatican, and other foreign officials, vigils across multiple countries, and a controversial visit to Pittsburgh by President Trump that drew protests from parts of the local community. It also spurred a large-scale, multi-year effort to increase security funding and infrastructure for Jewish institutions across the United States, including tens of millions of dollars in federal and communal grants, and significant fundraising for victims, survivors, and the affected congregations.
Sylvan Simon, David Rosenthal, Joyce Fienberg, Bernice Simon, Daniel Stein, Richard Gottfried, Jerry Rabinowitz, Andrea Wedner, Daniel Leger, Rose Mallinger, Cecil Rosenthal, Irving Younger, Melvin Wax
Date
2018
Location
Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation synagogue, Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Case status
solved
Case timeline
2018-10-27
Gunman opens fire and enters the Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha synagogue during Shabbat morning services, killing eleven and wounding six, including police officers; Robert Bowers is shot multiple times by police and arrested at the scene.
2018-10-29
Bowers appears in federal court in Pittsburgh and is ordered held without bail.
2018-10-31
Bowers is indicted on 44 federal counts by a grand jury.
2018-10-30
President Donald Trump visits Pittsburgh and the synagogue site, drawing protests from parts of the local community.
2018-11-01
Bowers enters a plea of not guilty.
2019-01-29
Grand jury indicts Bowers on an additional 19 counts, bringing the total to 63 federal charges.
2023-05-30
Federal trial against Bowers begins.
2023-06-16
Bowers is found guilty on all 63 federal charges.
2023-07-13
Jury finds Bowers eligible for a death sentence.
2023-08-02
Federal jury unanimously votes to sentence Bowers to death.
2023-08-03
Bowers is formally sentenced to death.
2023-08-26
Bowers is transferred to federal death row at USP Terre Haute.
2024-05
Bowers's appeal for a new trial is denied.
2024-12
President Biden commutes most federal death sentences but excludes Bowers, citing his hate-crime mass murder conviction.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
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Tree Of Life - One year later
People
Sylvan Simon
VICTIM
Shot in the Pervin Chapel; killed during a second encounter with the gunman.
David Rosenthal
VICTIM
Fatally shot on the stairs leading to the lower mezzanine.
Joyce Fienberg
VICTIM
Fatally shot on the stairs leading to the lower mezzanine.
Bernice Simon
VICTIM
Shot to death while calling 911 and holding her husband.
Daniel Stein
VICTIM
Killed in the basement kitchen.
Robert Gregory Bowers
CONVICTED
Found guilty on all 63 federal charges in June 2023, including hate crimes and obstruction of religious exercise resulting in death; sentenced to death on August 2-3, 2023.
Richard Gottfried
VICTIM
Killed in the basement kitchen.
Jerry Rabinowitz
VICTIM
Killed at the synagogue's lower mezzanine.
Andrea Wedner
VICTIM
Wounded by a gunshot to her right arm; survived the attack.
Daniel Leger
VICTIM
Shot in the abdomen and wounded; survived after being rescued about 45 minutes later.
Rose Mallinger
VICTIM
Killed in the Pervin Chapel.
Cecil Rosenthal
VICTIM
Shot to death near the Pervin Chapel doorway.
Irving Younger
VICTIM
Fatally shot at the lower mezzanine.
Melvin Wax
VICTIM
Shot at point-blank range after opening a closet door where he was hiding.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha synagogue facade
Credit: daveynin from United States · CC BY 2.0 · Source
On October 27, 2018, a gunman killed eleven worshippers and wounded six others, including four police officers, during Shabbat morning services at the Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Robert Bowers was convicted on all 63 federal counts in 2023 and sentenced to death.
Where did the shooting happen?
Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation synagogue, Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Who was convicted?
Robert Gregory Bowers (Found guilty on all 63 federal charges in June 2023, including hate crimes and obstruction of religious exercise resulting in death; sentenced to death on August 2-3, 2023.).
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