Three suspects Three crimes. A week full of hatred in America



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On Wednesday, a white man with a history of violence shot, apparently at random, two African Americans in a Kentucky Kroger store, following an unsuccessful attempt to enter a black church.

After sending mail bombs to people criticized by the president, a suspect was arrested Friday – a man who rose up against Democrats and minorities with hate messages online.

On Saturday morning, a man shouting anti-Semitic insults opened fire on a Pittsburgh synagogue, killing 11 people attending Jewish services.

These three incidents in 72 hours shared one thing: hatred.

"It's a terrible and terrible thing that hatred reigns in our country and around the world," President Donald Trump told reporters Saturday before boarding Air Force One to get to a political rally in New York. Indiana.

Death at the grocery store

He first tried to enter a church in Jeffersontown, Kentucky just outside Louisville. It was the predominantly black First Baptist church, and Gregory Bush reportedly knocked on the door and tried to open it, reported CNN affiliate WDRB.

Bush, a 51-year-old white man, has failed to get in. The doors were locked.

Bush then headed to a Kroger store, where he shot two people, both African-Americans. The first victim was Maurice Stallard, 69, who was with his 12-year-old grandson and was buying a billboard for a school project. The second was 67-year-old Vickie Jones, who was killed in the parking lot as Bush fled.

Members of the Louisville Metro Police Department chat in Kroger's grocery store in Jeffersontown, Kentucky after Wednesday's shootings.

"I'm just sick, my heart is broken, and I'm very angry, and I feel the same about any act of violence and cruelty," said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.

Bush has a history of mental illness, uttered racist threats, and repeatedly called his ex-wife to the N-word, according to court records, WDRB reported. He has a long criminal record that includes domestic violence, reported the channel.

Jeffersontown Mayor Bill Dieruf said it had upset the community, which valued his sense of family.

A Kroger employee wipes tears after Wednesday's shooting in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, which killed two people.

"We are related spirits, regardless of our way of life, our worship or our appearance, we are proud of it," he said.

Bush is in detention and faces possible civil rights violations, such as hate crimes, said Friday the US attorney at the Kentucky Western District, Russell Coleman.

"Murders are not taken lightly by the US government," said Coleman.

Terror in the mail

When the shooting took place in Kentucky, the country was increasingly worried about an increasing number of suspicious parcels sent by mail.

The first was discovered Monday afternoon at the donor and billionaire of the liberal campaign George Soros. On Wednesday morning, the Secret Service announced the discovery of two more: one addressed to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the other to former President Barack Obama.
A member of the New York Police Department's mine clearance team is photographed in front of the Time Warner Center in New York on Wednesday after the discovery of a suspicious package inside.

Four more would be found before the end of the day – including one sent to the CNN office in New York, resulting in the evacuation of the entire building, the Time Warner Center.

The package sent to CNN – the first of the two – was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan.

This is one of the suspicious packages sent to the CNN building in New York.
On Friday, additional parcels were announced, followed by an arrest – Cesar Sayoc, a 56-year-old man from Florida. Federal authorities said they sent a total of 14 packages containing homemade bombs, none of which exploded, but all were real.
Sayoc's political inclinations have been passionately displayed so that everyone can see them. His white Dodge van was covered with pro-Trump messages and stickers showing prominent liberals in the line of sight. A sticker saying "CNN Sucks" was also on the van.
Sayoc's van is covered by political messages.

A former chief said that Sayoc himself was called a white supremacist. Online, with two accounts on Facebook and three on Twitter, Sayoc often published provocative photos and memes attacking liberals, as well as conspiracy theories.

Massacre in a synagogue

On Saturday morning, we heard the news of a massive shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue, where worshipers had gathered to attend services.

A man shouting anti-Semitic insults ran inside the Tree of Life synagogue in the very plain neighborhood of Squirrel Hill and opened fire, killing 11 people. Six people were injured in the attack, but many others were injured.

Kate Rothstein, left, watches Tammy Hepps hug Simone Rothstein, 16, after several people were shot dead at The Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.

"It's an absolute tragedy," said Pennsylvania's governor, Tom Wolf, in a tweet. "These senseless acts of violence are not what we are as Americans."

Robert Bowers, 46, was identified as the shooter and arrested. He had frequently expressed his disdain for Jews on social media, said a federal law enforcement official.

Social media publications targeting Jews believed to be from Bowers are at the center of the investigation, a law enforcement official told the federal government.

Shortly before the shooting, on a report from Gab's social networking platform that the authorities are investigating, the suspect reportedly stated that he "could not sit and watch my people being slaughtered." your optics, I'll come in. "

A police source told CNN that investigators believe that the other antisemitic publications on a Gab account belong to Bowers. The language of the account corresponds to the alleged motivation behind the shots, said the source.

Members of the security forces respond to the shooting scene of the synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

In an article, Bowers wrote: "HIAS likes to attract invaders who kill our people," referring to a Jewish refugee group that organized a national refugee shabbat last weekend.

Bowers also published xenophobic content, claiming that Jews were helping members of the caravan transport of migrants in Latin America.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Mr. Bowers was now facing a hate crime and other federal charges that could result in the death penalty.

"Hatred and violence on the basis of religion can have no place in our society," said Sessions. "These alleged crimes are reprehensible and totally contrary to the values ​​of this nation".

What happens next?

Trump told reporters at Andrews Common Base in Maryland that the shooting in Pittsburgh was a "terrible thing".

He offered his support and sympathy in the posts on Twitter, saying "All America is in mourning" after the massacre.

"This devilish anti-Semitic attack is an assault on humanity, we will all have to work together to extract the poison of anti-Semitism from our world, and we must unite to overcome hatred," the president wrote.

Sessions promised to "fully enforce the law against anyone who violates the civil rights of the American people".

Hundreds of people gathered Saturday night at Squirrel Hill to watch a vigil to mourn the victims of the shooting in the synagogue and show their support for the Jewish community, CNN affiliate KNKA said.

"We all have so much more in common that we have to differentiate ourselves, and I think nights like tonight remind us of it," said Jeremy Blanche-Schwartz, who was attending the performance.

An interfaith service also took place at Sixth Presbyterian Church in Squirrel Hill on Saturday night, KDKA announced.

The mourning will continue as communities across the country rise on Sunday to practice their faith. They will watch the football games – the Pittsburgh Steelers have a home game on Sunday – and the crucial match 5 of the World Series.

Sunday morning television shows will try to dissect the events of the past week and their significance for the future of the United States.

But the victims relive the tragedies long after these 72 hours filled with hatred.

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