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The Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue sits in the heart of a vibrant Jewish community in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood. On October 27th it became the site of the deadliest attack against the Jewish community in American history. Law enforcement allege Robert Bowers, 46, stormed into the synagogue during Sabbath prayers armed with an AR-15 style assault rifle and at least three handguns shouting anti-Semitic slurs as he opened fire. 11 worshippers were killed and six others injured including four police officers. Kris Kepler of Hazelwood, a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, joins other mourners in front of the Tree of Life Synagogue on Sunday, October 28, 2018.
A woman beaks into tears as she visits a makeshift memorial near the Tree of Life Synagogue on Monday, October 29, 2018 in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
Mourners leave flowers and other items at a makeshift memorial near the Tree of Life Synagogue.
Holly Donahoo, left, and Diana Ciniello, right, both of Shadyside kneel and cry at a makeshift memorial.
Mourners join a vigil on Saturday evening in Squirrel Hill.
A mourner stands outside of Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum watching a livestream on a cell phone of a vigil to remember the victims of the Squirrel Hill mass shooting on Sunday evening. The hall was filled to capacity and hundreds more gathered outside.
Dima Kislovskiy, right, and Yasaswi Paruchuri, left, stand outside of Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum holding back tears during a vigil to remember the victims of the Squirrel Hill mass shooting on Sunday evening.
A Pennsylvania State Police Trooper stands watch near the Tree of Life Synagogue on Monday, October 29, 2018.
People join a solidarity march in response to the visit by President Trump to Pittsburgh and the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
Items hang from a police roadblock near the Tree of Life Synagogue.
People watch as several thousand people pass by their home in a solidarity march in response to the visit by President Trump to Pittsburgh in the wake of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
A woman is comforted by a man in a tense moment during a solidarity march.
Bob Goldstein, 71, of Squirrel Hill walks past memorials in front of the Tree of Life Synagogue on Monday, October 29, 2018. Goldstein has attended the Tree of Life for his entire life and knew 8 of the victims.
Rabbi Mendel Rosenblum of the Chabad of South Hills stands outside of Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum during vigil to remember the victims of the Squirrel Hill mass shooting.
Members of the Jewish faith gather in front of the Tree of Life Synagogue for the Shabbat on Friday evening, November 2, 2018 in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
People join a solidarity march in response to the visit by President Trump.
Pittsburgh Police move in during a tense moment at a solidarity march.
People march though the streets of Squirrel Hill in response to the visit by President Trump.
Sheila May-Stein of Wilkins Township hugs a fellow mourner after a supporter of President Trump upset her as she visited a makeshift memorial near the Tree of Life Synagogue.
A freshly dug grave sits open at the Tree of Life Memorial Park on Monday afternoon, October 29, 2018 in Pittsburgh's North Hills.
Men walk behind a hearse carrying the casket of Irving Younger, one of the victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, in front of Rodef Shalom Congregation after funeral services on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.
Mourners gather around the gravesite of Irving Younger, one of the victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, at Shaare Torah Cemetery on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 in Brentwood.
The funeral procession of Richard Gottfried makes its way to the New Light Cemetery on Thursday, November 1, 2018. Gottfried was one of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting victims.
Mourners gather around the gravesite of Richard Gottfried during his burial service at New Light Cemetery on Thursday, November 1, 2018 in Etna, Pa.
More images at American Reportage.
Justin Merriman, a freelance photojournalist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has traveled the world to cover politics, wars, natural disasters, civil unrest as well as covering assignment throughout the United States. His work has appeared in leading national publications and he has received multiple top journalism awards.
After covering the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks – including the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania – Merriman committed to chronicling the U.S. military and its war on terror. He has followed this story across the United States and into the conflict zones of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He also has covered life in Fidel Castro’s Cuba in 2002, India’s efforts to eradicate polio from its population, the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in 2012, the 2013 conclave and election of Pope Francis in Rome, the second anniversary of Egypt’s revolution and subsequent unrest, Russia’s invasion of Crimea and the international political crisis that unfolded in Ukraine in 2014, a look inside of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in 2015 and its uncertain future, and most recently, traveled the entire U.S. border with Mexico documenting issues on immigration.
Merriman’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Time, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and other publications across the globe.
He has been recognized with numerous regional, national and international awards from organizations including Pictures of the Year International, Society of Professional Journalists, the National Press Photographers Association, the Society for News Design, the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, the Northern Short Course, the Southern Short Course, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the Military Reporters and Editors Association, and the Western Pennsylvania Press Club. He was awarded Photographer of the Year by the News Photographer Association of Greater Pittsburgh four times and most recently was honored with the Keystone Press Award’s 2016 Distinguished Visual Award from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.
Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Merriman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Writing. In 2009, the university awarded him its prestigious Alumnus of Distinction award.
Currently Merriman lives in Oakmont with his fiancé, Stephanie Strasburg, a photojournalist with PublicSource.