Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
The Parkland school massacre will be reenacted, with gunfire, in lawsuit against sheriff's deputy
By TERRY SPENCER
Today
PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — Ballistics experts will fire up to 139 shots at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Friday during a reenactment of the 2018 Parkland massacre organized as part of a lawsuit that accuses a sheriff’s deputy of failing in his duty to protect the victims.
As the reenactment takes place, technicians outside a three-story classroom building will record the sound of the gunfire, seeking to capture what the deputy assigned to the school, Scot Peterson, heard during the six-minute attack.
The shooting, which sparked a nationwide movement for gun control, left 17 dead, 17 wounded and hundreds traumatized in the South Florida community. Former Stoneman Douglas student Nikolas Cruz, 24, pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to life in prison.
Peterson — who worked for the Broward Sheriff’s Office, also targeted in the lawsuit — says he didn’t hear all the shots and couldn’t pinpoint where they were coming from because of echoes. He got within feet of the building’s door and drew his gun, but then backed away and stood next to an adjoining building for 40 minutes, making radio calls. He has said he would have charged into the building if he knew that’s where the shooter was.
Families of the victims bringing the lawsuit contend Peterson knew Cruz’s location, but retreated out of cowardice and in violation of his duty to protect their loved ones.
Peterson, 60, was acquitted in June of felony child neglect and other criminal charges for failing to act, the first U.S. trial in history of a law enforcement officer for conduct during an on-campus shooting.
But the burden of proof is lower in a civil lawsuit. Circuit Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips allowed the test, but made clear she was not ruling on whether the recording will be played at trial. That, she said, will have to be argued later — it is likely Peterson's attorneys will oppose the attempt. No trial date has been set. The families and wounded are seeking unspecified damages.
The experts will fire live ammunition from the same spots as Cruz, with an identical AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle. The bullets will be caught by a safety device. The school is closed for summer break and students and teachers are not on campus.
David Brill, the families' attorney leading the reenactment, did not return calls and emails seeking comment. Peterson's attorney, Michael Piper, declined comment.
Tony Montalto, president of Stand with Parkland, which represents most of the families, said while Peterson was acquitted of criminal charges “that doesn't mean he's not guilty of failing to do the right things.”
“He failed to properly react to the tragedy, he failed to enter the building and he failed to render aid. The reenactment is designed to disprove some of the statements that were made during the criminal trial," Montalto said. His 14-year-old daughter, Gina, died in the shooting.
Peterson, who didn't testify at his criminal trial, insisted he would have acted differently if he knew where the shooter was.
“Those were my kids in there,” Peterson said in a 2018 interview with NBC's Today Show. “I never would have sat there and let my kids get slaughtered. Never.”
Robert Maher, a Montana State University professor who has studied the accuracy of gunfire recordings, said gunshots are much sharper in person.
“Speakers are not able to reproduce this high-intensity, short-duration pop sound,” Maher said.
Still, he said, there are techniques that might pick up the direction the shots were coming from and the reenactment should demonstrate how loud they were where Peterson was standing. That's a significant question as the classroom building's doors and window were mostly shut during the shooting.
“Are they really loud like you would expect a gunshot to be or, because the building is sealed up, not loud?" Maher said. “That's probably what they are going to be able to get out of the reconstruction.”
Tamara Lave, a University of Miami law professor, said when Judge Phillips decides whether to allow the jury to view and hear the reenactment, she will consider whether it “fairly and accurately” depicts what Peterson heard — but it doesn't have to be perfect.
“It has got to be close enough to be fair and help the jury determine whether he actually heard the shots,” Lave said.
Parkland sent warnings to residents so they won't panic if they hear the gunshots and to help them prepare mentally. Eagles' Haven, a community wellness center opened after the shooting, is planning several programs Friday including yoga, tai chi, a drum circle and meditation along with food so people can talk.
“When you are feeling triggered, it is good to be with other people who understand what you are going through,” said Sarah Franco, the center's director.
University of California, Santa Barbara Professor Erika Felix, who studies community trauma after mass shootings, agreed. She said the reenactment “will bring up thoughts, feelings, emotions. It’ll bring up memories.”
Before Friday's reenactment, two South Florida congressmen, Democrat Jared Moskowitz and Republican Mario Diaz-Balart, will lead several colleagues from the School Safety and Security Caucus on a tour of the building, which has remained mostly untouched since shortly after the shooting. Floors are still covered with dried blood, books and computers remain on desks and classrooms contain wilted Valentine's Day flowers and deflated balloons.
They will then meet with family members and survivors. Moskowitz is a Stoneman Douglas graduate.
After Friday, the Broward school district says it will begin demolishing the building. It had remained standing as evidence in the Cruz and Peterson criminal trials, looming over the campus behind a chain-link fence.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Pittsburgh synagogue gunman has been sentenced to die in the nation’s deadliest antisemitic attack
By PETER SMITH and MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Today
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The man who killed 11 congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue was formally sentenced to death Thursday, one day after a jury determined that capital punishment was appropriate for the perpetrator of the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.
U.S. District Judge Robert Colville ordered death by lethal injection for Robert Bowers, a 50-year-old truck driver whose vicious antisemitism led him to shoot his way into a place of worship and target people for practicing their faith.
“I have nothing specific that I care to say to Mr. Bowers,” Colville said from the bench. “I am however convinced there is nothing I could say to him that might be meaningful.”
Grieving families confronted Bowers in court before Colville pronounced the sentence, describing the pain and suffering he had inflicted, and calling him evil and cowardly. Bowers, who chose not to speak, spent the entire hearing shuffling through papers and writing, and refused to look those he victimized in the eye, even when invited to do so.
Several survivors spoke of lingering traumas — sleeplessness, fear of crowds and loud noises, and physical and cognitive struggles triggered by the 2018 massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue. But survivors and family members, several wearing yarmulkes signifying Jewish observance, also emphasized their resilience in practicing the Judaism that the defendant hated.
Alan Mallinger, son of 97-year-old Rose Mallinger, the attack's oldest victim, told Bowers the synagogue would be rebuilt, the scene of future bar and bat mitzvahs and other rituals of Jewish worship.
“We continue to thrive as Jewish people … stronger than ever,” he declared.
Bowers, from suburban Baldwin, ranted about Jews online before carrying out the attack at Tree of Life, in the heart of Pittsburgh's Jewish community, on Oct. 27, 2018. He killed members of the Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life congregations, which shared the synagogue building. Bowers told police at the scene that “all these Jews must die” and has since expressed pride in the killings.
Jurors were unanimous in finding that Bowers’ attack was motivated by his hatred of Jews, and that he chose Tree of Life for its location in one of the largest and most historic Jewish communities in the nation so he could “maximize the devastation, amplify the harm of his crimes, and instill fear within the local, national, and international Jewish communities.” They also found that Bowers lacked remorse.
The jury rejected defense claims that Bowers has schizophrenia and that his delusions about Jewish people spurred the attack.
“Mr. Bowers, you met my beloved husband in the kitchen. Your callous disregard for the person he was repulses me,” testified Peg Durachko, wife of 65-year-old Dr. Richard Gottfried, a dentist who was shot and killed. “Your hateful act took my soulmate from me.”
Mark Simon, whose parents, Bernice and Sylvan Simon, were killed in the attack, testified he still has their bloodied prayer shawl. He said he remains haunted by the 911 call placed by his mother, whom Bowers shot while she was on the line.
“My parents died alone, without any living soul to comfort them or to hold their hand in their last moments,” said Simon, condemning “that defendant” and urging the judge to show him no mercy.
“You will never be forgiven. Never,” Simon told Bowers.
It was the first federal death sentence imposed during the presidency of Joe Biden, who pledged during his 2020 campaign to end capital punishment. Biden’s Justice Department has placed a moratorium on federal executions and has declined to authorize the death penalty in hundreds of new cases where it could apply. But federal prosecutors said death was the appropriate punishment for Bowers, citing the vulnerability of his mainly elderly victims and his hate-based targeting of a religious community.
An appeal is expected, meaning that Bowers will likely spend years on federal death row even if the Justice Department lifts the moratorium on executions.
Bowers, who was armed with an AR-15 rifle and other weapons, also shot and wounded seven, including five responding police officers. Sgt. Jonathan Craig, who responded to the attack as a member of the Pittsburgh police SWAT team, recalled on the witness stand Thursday that Bowers “begged for mercy” after being wounded in a shootout with police — after he had shown no mercy to those he murdered.
The gunman was convicted in June of 63 federal counts, including hate crimes resulting in death and obstruction of the free exercise of religion resulting in death.
In addition to Mallinger, Gottfried and the Simons, the deceased victims were Joyce Fienberg, 75; Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, 66; brothers David Rosenthal, 54, and Cecil Rosenthal, 59; Dan Stein, 71; Melvin Wax, 87; and Irving Younger, 69.
The synagogue has been closed since the shootings. The Tree of Life congregation plans to overhaul the synagogue complex to house a sanctuary, museum, memorial and center for fighting antisemitism.
Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers — speaking as a survivor and the “pastor of a wounded congregation” — said in court that many members remain hesitant to return to worship because of trauma or fear. “My beloved synagogue is the 12th victim,” he said.
The judge said he couldn’t begin to understand the pain of the survivors and loved ones of those killed in the attack.
“May their memory be a blessing," said Colville, invoking the traditional Jewish expression in honor of the deceased.
___
Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania.
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
This piece of shit should never get out. No remorse, assaulted a counselor in jail, etc.
Five years ago, the then-13-year-old boy shot a teacher and his classmate at Noblesville West Middle School. He was placed in a juvenile detention facility, with the plan for him to be released when he turned 18. That release was delayed after the young man touched a case manager's breast. During a victim's statement, the woman said the incident led to "great embarrassment" that affected her credibility as a new and female counselor.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Technically not violence but likely a similar mindset when children have access to guns like this
Hey, but did you hear Hunter Biden lied on his federal firearm form?
A child has died and this message board mocks it. How fucking pathetic. You either believe in gun laws or you don't. Funny that gun laws only matter when it fits your political preference. Fuck Hunter Biden and anyone that mocks a child's death.
Technically not violence but likely a similar mindset when children have access to guns like this
Hey, but did you hear Hunter Biden lied on his federal firearm form?
A child has died and this message board mocks it. How fucking pathetic. You either believe in gun laws or you don't. Funny that gun laws only matter when it fits your political preference. Fuck Hunter Biden and anyone that mocks a child's death.
I suggest that you start on page one of this thread and catch up but you are yours.
I’m mocking the hypocrisy of the repub party that is owned lock, stock and barrel by the NRA and the Sport Shooting Foundation as they appear to be overly concerned with Hunter Biden’s federal firearm form rather than gun violence being the leading cause of death among children 17 and under. The Brandon Crime Family’s DOJ is appealing the 5th circuit’s vacating of the gun law that would have held Hunter accountable, unlike the many “responsible” gun owners whose firearms are left unsecured, allowing kids to gain access and kill someone.
Technically not violence but likely a similar mindset when children have access to guns like this
Hey, but did you hear Hunter Biden lied on his federal firearm form?
A child has died and this message board mocks it. How fucking pathetic. You either believe in gun laws or you don't. Funny that gun laws only matter when it fits your political preference. Fuck Hunter Biden and anyone that mocks a child's death.
pssst. the 5th circuit struck down that particular law. you know the widely known CONSERVATIVE circuit court.
The fact is where children and guns are involved these are completely preventable fucking tragedies . they are not accidents. they are foreseeable so how about you rail against that shit first. And the go-to law enforcement fucking narrative seems to be we're to have sympathy for the parents that left these fucking weapons laying around.
We aren't mocking these children. We're mocking the mother fucking enablers that allow this shit to continue . they have no shame.
The owners of weapons used in cases like this in my opinion should be charged with willful negligent homicide. And if that specific language willful negligent homicide isn't law it should be with a penalty commensurate with murder
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Technically not violence but likely a similar mindset when children have access to guns like this
Hey, but did you hear Hunter Biden lied on his federal firearm form?
A child has died and this message board mocks it. How fucking pathetic. You either believe in gun laws or you don't. Funny that gun laws only matter when it fits your political preference. Fuck Hunter Biden and anyone that mocks a child's death.
Oh please....your party lets children get gunned down in schools on a weekly basis and does nothing.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Technically not violence but likely a similar mindset when children have access to guns like this
Hey, but did you hear Hunter Biden lied on his federal firearm form?
A child has died and this message board mocks it. How fucking pathetic. You either believe in gun laws or you don't. Funny that gun laws only matter when it fits your political preference. Fuck Hunter Biden and anyone that mocks a child's death
How dare you say anything to those who’ve been fighting against guns ON THIS BOARD since Columbine.
How bout you take all that energy and do something worthwhile like fighting against guns if you’re so concerned about children. No chance of that huh?
Post edited by Kat on
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Technically not violence but likely a similar mindset when children have access to guns like this
Hey, but did you hear Hunter Biden lied on his federal firearm form?
A child has died and this message board mocks it. How fucking pathetic. You either believe in gun laws or you don't. Funny that gun laws only matter when it fits your political preference. Fuck Hunter Biden and anyone that mocks a child's death.
Oh please....your party lets children get gunned down in schools on a weekly basis and does nothing.
that teacher that got shot by the 6 year old in Virginia? Suing the state.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Technically not violence but likely a similar mindset when children have access to guns like this
Hey, but did you hear Hunter Biden lied on his federal firearm form?
A child has died and this message board mocks it. How fucking pathetic. You either believe in gun laws or you don't. Funny that gun laws only matter when it fits your political preference. Fuck Hunter Biden and anyone that mocks a child's death.
Oh please....your party lets children get gunned down in schools on a weekly basis and does nothing.
that teacher that got shot by the 6 year old in Virginia? Suing the state.
States response? Part of the job.....
And the news reports everyday how limited teachers have become. To half the country children and the value of life are no longer a priority.
Technically not violence but likely a similar mindset when children have access to guns like this
Hey, but did you hear Hunter Biden lied on his federal firearm form?
A child has died and this message board mocks it. How fucking pathetic. You either believe in gun laws or you don't. Funny that gun laws only matter when it fits your political preference. Fuck Hunter Biden and anyone that mocks a child's death.
Oh please....your party lets children get gunned down in schools on a weekly basis and does nothing.
that teacher that got shot by the 6 year old in Virginia? Suing the state.
States response? Part of the job.....
And the news reports everyday how limited teachers have become. To half the country children and the value of life are no longer a priority.
The right’s war on public schools is going well… remember, they “love the poorly educated.”
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mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,802
Need to find an article from a publication that I already subscribe to unless someone can post the gist of this from their own Wall Street Journal subscription
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Need to find an article from a publication that I already subscribe to unless someone can post the gist of this from their own Wall Street Journal subscription
So let’s hear the “don’t you want the gun laws enforced” crowd now. Hope they’re celebrating Brandon’s long overdue enforcement and now might support full funding of the ATF to really slow the flow of guns to the blue cities and states with stricter gun laws. You know, places like Chicago, NYC, etc. Somehow I doubt we’ll hear anything of the sort, particularly since Hunter is still walking free.
Technically not violence but likely a similar mindset when children have access to guns like this
Hey, but did you hear Hunter Biden lied on his federal firearm form?
A child has died and this message board mocks it. How fucking pathetic. You either believe in gun laws or you don't. Funny that gun laws only matter when it fits your political preference. Fuck Hunter Biden and anyone that mocks a child's death
How dare you say anything to those who’ve been fighting against guns ON THIS BOARD since Columbine.
How bout you take all that energy and do something worthwhile like fighting against guns if you’re so concerned about children. No chance of that huh?
Fighting Guns by jerking eachother off w/ clever comments ripping conservatives every single day on a rock bands forum…. “How dare you”…lol. This place is the best Jerry, the Best!!
No, fighting guns by voting for candidates that want to enforce existing gun laws. Hard to wrap your mind around, I know.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Interesting...because in Canada they also have guns. I'm not sure how much more difficult it is to get guns there (if at all) but lots of countries have gun "rights" that are not that far from America. I think it's more of an intangible "culture" than the actual guns. It's not that we can get them but that we fetishize them...combine that with our "rugged individualism" and fragile masculinity.
1995 Milwaukee 1998 Alpine, Alpine 2003 Albany, Boston, Boston, Boston 2004 Boston, Boston 2006 Hartford, St. Paul (Petty), St. Paul (Petty) 2011 Alpine, Alpine 2013 Wrigley 2014 St. Paul 2016 Fenway, Fenway, Wrigley, Wrigley 2018 Missoula, Wrigley, Wrigley 2021 Asbury Park 2022 St Louis 2023 Austin, Austin
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Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — Ballistics experts will fire up to 139 shots at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Friday during a reenactment of the 2018 Parkland massacre organized as part of a lawsuit that accuses a sheriff’s deputy of failing in his duty to protect the victims.
As the reenactment takes place, technicians outside a three-story classroom building will record the sound of the gunfire, seeking to capture what the deputy assigned to the school, Scot Peterson, heard during the six-minute attack.
The shooting, which sparked a nationwide movement for gun control, left 17 dead, 17 wounded and hundreds traumatized in the South Florida community. Former Stoneman Douglas student Nikolas Cruz, 24, pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to life in prison.
Peterson — who worked for the Broward Sheriff’s Office, also targeted in the lawsuit — says he didn’t hear all the shots and couldn’t pinpoint where they were coming from because of echoes. He got within feet of the building’s door and drew his gun, but then backed away and stood next to an adjoining building for 40 minutes, making radio calls. He has said he would have charged into the building if he knew that’s where the shooter was.
Families of the victims bringing the lawsuit contend Peterson knew Cruz’s location, but retreated out of cowardice and in violation of his duty to protect their loved ones.
Peterson, 60, was acquitted in June of felony child neglect and other criminal charges for failing to act, the first U.S. trial in history of a law enforcement officer for conduct during an on-campus shooting.
But the burden of proof is lower in a civil lawsuit. Circuit Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips allowed the test, but made clear she was not ruling on whether the recording will be played at trial. That, she said, will have to be argued later — it is likely Peterson's attorneys will oppose the attempt. No trial date has been set. The families and wounded are seeking unspecified damages.
The experts will fire live ammunition from the same spots as Cruz, with an identical AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle. The bullets will be caught by a safety device. The school is closed for summer break and students and teachers are not on campus.
David Brill, the families' attorney leading the reenactment, did not return calls and emails seeking comment. Peterson's attorney, Michael Piper, declined comment.
Tony Montalto, president of Stand with Parkland, which represents most of the families, said while Peterson was acquitted of criminal charges “that doesn't mean he's not guilty of failing to do the right things.”
“He failed to properly react to the tragedy, he failed to enter the building and he failed to render aid. The reenactment is designed to disprove some of the statements that were made during the criminal trial," Montalto said. His 14-year-old daughter, Gina, died in the shooting.
Peterson, who didn't testify at his criminal trial, insisted he would have acted differently if he knew where the shooter was.
“Those were my kids in there,” Peterson said in a 2018 interview with NBC's Today Show. “I never would have sat there and let my kids get slaughtered. Never.”
Robert Maher, a Montana State University professor who has studied the accuracy of gunfire recordings, said gunshots are much sharper in person.
“Speakers are not able to reproduce this high-intensity, short-duration pop sound,” Maher said.
Still, he said, there are techniques that might pick up the direction the shots were coming from and the reenactment should demonstrate how loud they were where Peterson was standing. That's a significant question as the classroom building's doors and window were mostly shut during the shooting.
“Are they really loud like you would expect a gunshot to be or, because the building is sealed up, not loud?" Maher said. “That's probably what they are going to be able to get out of the reconstruction.”
Tamara Lave, a University of Miami law professor, said when Judge Phillips decides whether to allow the jury to view and hear the reenactment, she will consider whether it “fairly and accurately” depicts what Peterson heard — but it doesn't have to be perfect.
“It has got to be close enough to be fair and help the jury determine whether he actually heard the shots,” Lave said.
Parkland sent warnings to residents so they won't panic if they hear the gunshots and to help them prepare mentally. Eagles' Haven, a community wellness center opened after the shooting, is planning several programs Friday including yoga, tai chi, a drum circle and meditation along with food so people can talk.
“When you are feeling triggered, it is good to be with other people who understand what you are going through,” said Sarah Franco, the center's director.
University of California, Santa Barbara Professor Erika Felix, who studies community trauma after mass shootings, agreed. She said the reenactment “will bring up thoughts, feelings, emotions. It’ll bring up memories.”
Before Friday's reenactment, two South Florida congressmen, Democrat Jared Moskowitz and Republican Mario Diaz-Balart, will lead several colleagues from the School Safety and Security Caucus on a tour of the building, which has remained mostly untouched since shortly after the shooting. Floors are still covered with dried blood, books and computers remain on desks and classrooms contain wilted Valentine's Day flowers and deflated balloons.
They will then meet with family members and survivors. Moskowitz is a Stoneman Douglas graduate.
After Friday, the Broward school district says it will begin demolishing the building. It had remained standing as evidence in the Cruz and Peterson criminal trials, looming over the campus behind a chain-link fence.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The man who killed 11 congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue was formally sentenced to death Thursday, one day after a jury determined that capital punishment was appropriate for the perpetrator of the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.
U.S. District Judge Robert Colville ordered death by lethal injection for Robert Bowers, a 50-year-old truck driver whose vicious antisemitism led him to shoot his way into a place of worship and target people for practicing their faith.
“I have nothing specific that I care to say to Mr. Bowers,” Colville said from the bench. “I am however convinced there is nothing I could say to him that might be meaningful.”
Grieving families confronted Bowers in court before Colville pronounced the sentence, describing the pain and suffering he had inflicted, and calling him evil and cowardly. Bowers, who chose not to speak, spent the entire hearing shuffling through papers and writing, and refused to look those he victimized in the eye, even when invited to do so.
Several survivors spoke of lingering traumas — sleeplessness, fear of crowds and loud noises, and physical and cognitive struggles triggered by the 2018 massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue. But survivors and family members, several wearing yarmulkes signifying Jewish observance, also emphasized their resilience in practicing the Judaism that the defendant hated.
Alan Mallinger, son of 97-year-old Rose Mallinger, the attack's oldest victim, told Bowers the synagogue would be rebuilt, the scene of future bar and bat mitzvahs and other rituals of Jewish worship.
“We continue to thrive as Jewish people … stronger than ever,” he declared.
Bowers, from suburban Baldwin, ranted about Jews online before carrying out the attack at Tree of Life, in the heart of Pittsburgh's Jewish community, on Oct. 27, 2018. He killed members of the Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life congregations, which shared the synagogue building. Bowers told police at the scene that “all these Jews must die” and has since expressed pride in the killings.
Jurors were unanimous in finding that Bowers’ attack was motivated by his hatred of Jews, and that he chose Tree of Life for its location in one of the largest and most historic Jewish communities in the nation so he could “maximize the devastation, amplify the harm of his crimes, and instill fear within the local, national, and international Jewish communities.” They also found that Bowers lacked remorse.
The jury rejected defense claims that Bowers has schizophrenia and that his delusions about Jewish people spurred the attack.
“Mr. Bowers, you met my beloved husband in the kitchen. Your callous disregard for the person he was repulses me,” testified Peg Durachko, wife of 65-year-old Dr. Richard Gottfried, a dentist who was shot and killed. “Your hateful act took my soulmate from me.”
Mark Simon, whose parents, Bernice and Sylvan Simon, were killed in the attack, testified he still has their bloodied prayer shawl. He said he remains haunted by the 911 call placed by his mother, whom Bowers shot while she was on the line.
“My parents died alone, without any living soul to comfort them or to hold their hand in their last moments,” said Simon, condemning “that defendant” and urging the judge to show him no mercy.
“You will never be forgiven. Never,” Simon told Bowers.
It was the first federal death sentence imposed during the presidency of Joe Biden, who pledged during his 2020 campaign to end capital punishment. Biden’s Justice Department has placed a moratorium on federal executions and has declined to authorize the death penalty in hundreds of new cases where it could apply. But federal prosecutors said death was the appropriate punishment for Bowers, citing the vulnerability of his mainly elderly victims and his hate-based targeting of a religious community.
An appeal is expected, meaning that Bowers will likely spend years on federal death row even if the Justice Department lifts the moratorium on executions.
Bowers, who was armed with an AR-15 rifle and other weapons, also shot and wounded seven, including five responding police officers. Sgt. Jonathan Craig, who responded to the attack as a member of the Pittsburgh police SWAT team, recalled on the witness stand Thursday that Bowers “begged for mercy” after being wounded in a shootout with police — after he had shown no mercy to those he murdered.
The gunman was convicted in June of 63 federal counts, including hate crimes resulting in death and obstruction of the free exercise of religion resulting in death.
In addition to Mallinger, Gottfried and the Simons, the deceased victims were Joyce Fienberg, 75; Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, 66; brothers David Rosenthal, 54, and Cecil Rosenthal, 59; Dan Stein, 71; Melvin Wax, 87; and Irving Younger, 69.
The synagogue has been closed since the shootings. The Tree of Life congregation plans to overhaul the synagogue complex to house a sanctuary, museum, memorial and center for fighting antisemitism.
Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers — speaking as a survivor and the “pastor of a wounded congregation” — said in court that many members remain hesitant to return to worship because of trauma or fear. “My beloved synagogue is the 12th victim,” he said.
The judge said he couldn’t begin to understand the pain of the survivors and loved ones of those killed in the attack.
“May their memory be a blessing," said Colville, invoking the traditional Jewish expression in honor of the deceased.
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Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania.
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
This piece of shit should never get out. No remorse, assaulted a counselor in jail, etc.
During a victim's statement, the woman said the incident led to "great embarrassment" that affected her credibility as a new and female counselor.
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Technically not violence but likely a similar mindset when children have access to guns like this
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
I’m mocking the hypocrisy of the repub party that is owned lock, stock and barrel by the NRA and the Sport Shooting Foundation as they appear to be overly concerned with Hunter Biden’s federal firearm form rather than gun violence being the leading cause of death among children 17 and under. The Brandon Crime Family’s DOJ is appealing the 5th circuit’s vacating of the gun law that would have held Hunter accountable, unlike the many “responsible” gun owners whose firearms are left unsecured, allowing kids to gain access and kill someone.
Fuck Brandon indeed.
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
2013 Wrigley 2014 St. Paul 2016 Fenway, Fenway, Wrigley, Wrigley 2018 Missoula, Wrigley, Wrigley 2021 Asbury Park 2022 St Louis 2023 Austin, Austin