The man accused of killing 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue has been discharged from a hospital and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday afternoon, officials said.
Robert Bowers, 46, was shot multiple times in a gunfight with police that capped Saturday’s massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue. He was discharged from Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh at 9:45 a.m. on Monday, a hospital spokeswoman told ABC News.
Bowers is scheduled to make his first court appearance before a federal magistrate in Pittsburgh at 1:30 p.m.
He is charged with 29 federal counts, including hate crimes. His charges include 11 counts of obstruction of exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, 11 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder, four counts of obstruction of exercise of religious belief resulting in bodily injury to a public safety officer and three counts of use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The four counts of bodily injury to a public safety officer stem from the four police officers injured in the shooting.
If convicted, Bowers could face the death penalty.
In a social media message that Bowers allegedly posted shortly before he stormed the synagogue on Saturday morning, Bowers referred to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), a more than 100-year-old nonprofit that aids refugees. He wrote that HIAS brings in “invaders that kill our people,” concluding, “Screw your optics, I’m going in.”
Bowers was allegedly wielding three Glock 357 handguns and an AR-15 assault rifle when he stormed the temple Saturday morning and shot congregants at random, law enforcement officials said at a news conference on Sunday.
“All the weapons he brought into the facility were used,” said Bob Jones, special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh office.
The 20-minute rampage ended in a gun battle with SWAT team members on the third floor of the synagogue. Even as he was being treated for his wounds, Bowers allegedly screamed at a SWAT office that he wanted “all Jews to die,” according to a criminal complaint filed against him.
Killed in the attack were Joyce Fienberg, 75, Richard Gottfried, 65, Rose Mallinger, 97, Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, Daniel Stein, 71, Melvin Wax, 88, and Irving Younger, 69.
Also killed were brothers Cecil Rosenthal, 59, and David Rosenthal, 54; and Bernice Simon, 84, and her husband, Sylvan Simon, 86.
Six people were injured in the rampage, including the four police officers. Three of the officers remain hospitalized, one in critical condition. Of the three civilians still in the hospital, one was in critical condition and two were in stable condition, officials said.
Investigators said that minutes before carrying out the carnage, Bowers is believed to have posted his intent to commit the massacre on the social media platform Gab, which is popular with white supremacists and the alt-right.
“Screw the optics, I’m going in,” reads a post believed to have been made by Bowers moments before the first gunshots were fired inside the temple.
n addition to the federal charges, Bowers was also charged with 35 state offenses, including 11 counts of criminal homicide, six counts of criminal attempted homicide, six counts of aggravated assault and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation.
The shooting rattled nerves across the country and globe and prompted an outpouring of support and condolences.
In New York, the Empire State Building went dark except for an orange halo on the mast to honor the victims. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower also went dark in homage to the victims. The U.S. and the Israeli flags were also projected on walls of the of Jerusalem’s old city to show solidarity with the Pittsburgh Jewish community.
The Pittsburgh Steelers also held a moment of silence before Sunday football game at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh to honor the victims.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said the city of Pittsburgh will stand by the victims’ families and help them get through the tragedy.
“Pittsburgh is a strong town. We are a resilient city,” Peduto said at Sunday’s news conference. “We’ll get through this darkest day in Pittsburgh’s history by working together.”
