On October 27, 2018, a gunman entered the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood and killed 11 people, in what authorities call the worst incident of anti-Semitic violence on American soil.
WESA reporters covered the next year, as survivors, family members, and the entire Pittsburgh region dealt with the aftermath and trauma of the shooting. News coverage included the early stages of a death-penalty trial for the alleged gunman; city council passing controversial legislation that banned certain types of weapons in the city, including AR-15 type-rifles that authorities say was used in shooting; and the community's on-going push to come together to heal and rebuild.