11 Killed in Synagogue Massacre; Suspect Charged With 29 Counts
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/27/us/active-shooter-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting.html
On the morning of Saturday the 27th, a man with an AR-15 assault rifle and 3 or more handguns was shouting harmful anti-Semitic slurs and killed 11 or more congregants and injured 6 others, 4 of those being police officers, in a Pittsburgh Synagogue. This shooting was one of the deadliest in the U.S. Jewish community. Despite having no previous criminal record, the suspect Robert D. Bowers was confirmed to be guilty when he surrendered when barricaded in a room. Federal officials charged him with 29 criminal counts that could possibly lead to the dead penalty.
This article depicts a tragedy that is another example of a hate crime in our country. This crime is similar to the Brith Sholom Kneseth Israel synagogue shooting in St. Louis, Missouri. Both were an act of anti-Semitic beliefs and considered hate-crime. It's truly sickening to see crimes like this continue to occur and not much being done to truly prevent and stop these incidents from happening.
I think that the Idea of a Hate crime is dangerous to the integrity of our country, I think that shooting anyone regardless of motive should be a crime that results in life in prison. But I think that if we say a crime is more wrong because the reason they did it is "more bad" it sends a message that your motivation behind the crime can justify the crime being committed.
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