Reactions are pouring in after the conviction of Robert Bowers, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter who was found guilty of killing 11 people in 2018.Here's what some have said so far:"I am grateful to God for getting us to this day," Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life Congregation, who survived the attack, said. And I am thankful for the law enforcement who ran into danger to rescue me, and the U.S. Attorney who stood up in court to defend my right to pray. Today I'm focused on being with my congregation and praying, singing and clapping in praise of God as we do each Shabbat. In the face of the horror of our community has experienced, I can think of no better response than practicing my Jewish faith and leading worship.""Today's verdict was a step toward justice in Pittsburgh, but the horror and pain of October 27, 2018, will never go away," Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on Twitter. "My heart remains with the families of the 11 victims who were massacred as they worshipped at Tree of Life that day. May their memories be a blessing."While the verdict will not bring back your loved ones who were so violently killed, my hope is that today provides some level of comfort and helps to ease the pain, even if ever so slightly. May their memories always be for a blessing," said Carole Zawatsky, CEO of Tree of Life. "Let us, this day, reaffirm our resolve to bring light into our world and keep the memory of each of the victims in our hearts as we do the work of Tikkun HaOlam, repairing our broken world.""I am thankful for everyone who got us to this day. Every day for the past four and a half years, I’ve tried to look for the helpers: the public safety department and law enforcement officers, the attorneys, our fellow Pittsburgers who have continued to offer their care and support day in and day out," Tree of Life President Alan Hausman said, echoing Fred Rogers. "The way our community and people of all faiths came together after October 27, 2018, has helped me and continues to inspire me and give me strength as we move forward.""Our community has been waiting a long time for this day," Michael Bernstein, chair of the Tree of Life Interim Governance said. "We are grateful to the Justice Department and the jury for their work to get us to a verdict. Today is a reminder that we live in a nation where vulnerable communities can be confident that those who engage in hate-fueled violence will be held accountable. It also marks the start of a new chapter for our community as we continue to heal and move forward as work to build a world in which hate no longer impacts any community. As the legal process continues, our energies will lie in building a better future for all as a part of the collaborative movement across communities and generations to uproot antisemitism and identity-based hate in all its forms.""Justice has been served," the American Jewish Committee said in a statement. "We realize it does little to ease the pain for the families and friends of the 11 people murdered at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh simply for being Jewish and practicing their faith. However, we hope this verdict allows them to continue the slow process of healing if not closure. The memories of those taken will always be a blessing. Countering the antisemitic hate that invaded their sacred and joyous space must be the job for all of society, not just the Jewish community.""In the 7th chapter of the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, Moses delivers the powerful message: ‘the Lord has set His heart on you because the Lord loved you.’ Those words were spoken to the beloved Jewish people," said Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik. "At this delicate time for the Pittsburgh Jewish Community and beyond, we all need to embrace not only God’s words but especially at this time set our hearts on our Jewish sisters and brothers as God does.""Gisele and I are remembering the victims whose lives were taken during the horrific Tree of Life massacre in Pittsburgh over four years ago," said U.S. Sen. John Fetterman. "Today, a jury found the shooter guilty of all charges. This is a step towards justice for such a hateful, disgusting, and antisemitic attack. We all must continue to stand in solidarity with Pennsylvania’s Jewish community against the evil of antisemitism.""Today's conviction is a step towards justice for the 11 Jewish worshippers killed by a white supremacist gunman in 2018," U.S. Rep Summer Lee said. "May the memories of those taken from us be forever a blessing. And May the strength and resilience shown by the survivors, the victims’ family members, and the entire Jewish community throughout this heartbreaking trial forever be an inspiration to us all. They inspire me to work even harder to confront the root causes of hatred, racism, and bigotry so that no community has to live in fear of such senseless violence ever again.""Five years ago, our city was shaken when 11 lives were taken in an act of antisemitic hate," said Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey. "Today, we remember the lives of Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Melvin Wax, Daniel Stein, Irving Younger, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Joyce Feinberg, Richard Gottfried, Cecil Rosenthal, and David Rosenthal. May their memories be a blessing. Pittsburgh, please join me in praying for the family and friends of those we lost and those who survived this horrific tragedy. I hope that today helps our Jewish brothers and sisters, and our entire city, begin their journey towards healing. As we continue to eliminate hate from our beloved city, remember: Pittsburgh is stronger than hate."

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A jury in Georgia has adjourned without a verdict in the federal hate crimes trial over the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery.

A U.S. District Court judge dismissed the jury Monday evening after about three hours of deliberations that followed closing arguments in the case.

The jury will reconvene Tuesday morning at the courthouse in Brunswick, Georgia.

The jury is deliberating federal hate crime charges against Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William "Roddie" Brown.

Federal prosecutors claim Arbery was killed because of his race.

However, attorneys for the defendants said race was not a factor in pursuing Arbery, who was seen running in their neighborhood and looking at a home that was under construction.

The McMichaels and Brown have already been found guilty of state murder charges.

They are serving life sentences.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. —

A police officer testified Thursday that he told a white father and son on trial for hate crimes in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery there was no evidence the 25-year-old Black man had stolen anything after security cameras recorded him wandering inside a home under construction several times.

“Nothing has been taken and the only crime we had was trespassing,” said Glynn County police Officer Robert Rash, who took the witness stand on the fourth day of the trial in U.S. District Court in the Georgia port city of Brunswick.

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and a neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, were convicted in state court of murdering Arbery and sentenced to life in prison. Now they're standing trial again in a separate case brought by federal prosecutors, who charged them with violating Arbery's civil rights and targeting him because he was Black.

The jury has been shown roughly two dozen text messages and social media posts in which Travis McMichael and Bryan used racist slurs and made derogatory comments about Black people. Some of Travis McMichael's posts described violence against Black people.

Investigators searching Travis McMichael's truck two months after the shooting photographed a Confederate flag sticker inside the lid of a tool box attached to the bed of the pickup, Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Jason Seacrist testified Thursday.

He said a decorative vanity plate depicting Georgia's former state flag, which prominently featured a Confederate emblem, had been removed from the truck's bumper before GBI agents photographed it in May 2020. The tag can be seen on the truck in police body camera footage from the day of the shooting. Georgia retired that version of its flag two decades ago.

The McMichaels and Bryan have pleaded not guilty to the hate crime charges. Defense attorneys say the three didn't chase and kill Arbery because of his race but acted on earnest, though erroneous, suspicion that Arbery had committed crimes in their neighborhood.

However, Bryan told investigators he had never seen Arbery before the chase, which Bryan joined after Arbery ran past his home with the McMichaels' truck close behind him. Bryan told police he didn't know the McMichaels either but called out to them: “Y'all got him?”

“I just figured he'd stolen something," Bryan told Seacrist in a recorded interview played in court. “He might have shot somebody. I didn't know what was up.”

The McMichaels were aware that a young Black man had been seen several times in the unfinished home in the months before the shooting. When Arbery ran past their home, five doors down from that property, on Feb. 23, 2020, they grabbed guns and pursued him in a pickup truck. Bryan joined the chase and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael blasting Arbery with a shotgun.

No arrests were made until the graphic video leaked online two months later and Arbery’s killing became part of a larger national reckoning over racial injustice.

Twelve days before the shooting, Rash was dispatched to the construction site after Travis McMichael called 911, breathlessly reporting that a Black man he had spotted outside the home ran inside.

“He reached into his pocket and ran into the house,” Travis McMichael told a police dispatcher. “I don't know if he's armed or not.”

The man he had confronted, later determined to be Arbery, was gone when police arrived. Rash called the unfinished home's owner, confirming none of the security videos showed Arbery stealing from the property.

“He hasn't seen him actually take anything,” Rash told both McMichaels on video recorded by the officer's body camera that night.

Travis McMichael also told the 911 operator that “we've been having a lot of burglaries and break-ins around here lately."

Rash said that wasn't true. He testified there wasn't a single burglary in the Satilla Shores neighborhood where the McMichaels and Bryan lived in the year before the shooting. He noted that items had been stolen from unlocked cars — including guns taken from two vehicles, one a handgun that belonged to Travis McMichael.

Rash noted a security camera recorded a white man suspected of the other gun theft in the area. He also testified that a white couple carrying what looked like a canvas bag had been recorded in November 2019 walking into the same unfinished home that Arbery visited several times.

Greg McMichael's attorney, A.J. Balbo, said it was Arbery's repeated trips to the unfinished home at night, not his race, that made the McMichaels wary of him.

“Would you agree with me, sir, that the fact that Mr. Arbery had been in the residence in the dark in October, in November, in December and in February is a little suspicious?” Balbo asked Rash.

The officer said he agreed.

“Had the white couple repeatedly come after dark, over and over, that would have been suspicious," Rash said.

GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. —

As jury selection got slowly underway Monday in the trial of three white men charged with fatally shooting Ahmaud Arbery as he was running in their Georgia neighborhood, potential jurors said they came in with negative feelings about the case and worried about the personal consequences of serving on the jury.

The slaying of the 25-year-old Black man sparked a national outcry fueled by graphic video of the shooting leaked online more than two months after Arbery was killed. Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan are charged with murder and other crimes in Arbery's death on Feb. 23, 2020, just outside the port city of Brunswick.

With hundreds called, jury selection could last two weeks or more. Arbery's father said he was praying for an impartial panel and a fair trial, saying Black crime victims too often have been denied justice.

"This is 2021, and it's time for a change," Marcus Arbery Sr. told The Associated Press. "We need to be treated equally and get fair justice as human beings, because we've been treated wrong so long."

The first panel of 20 jurors was sworn in and questioned Monday afternoon.

When Judge Timothy Walmsley asked the group if their minds were neutral regarding both sides of the case, only one raised a hand. Asked if they were already leaning toward either side, about half raised their hands to indicate yes.

"Please raise your card if you would like to serve on this jury," prosecutor Linda Dunikoski instructed as she wrapped up her questions for the group.

At first, nobody did. Finally, one young man raised his hand.

Jason Sheffield, one of Travis McMichael's attorneys, asked the group whether they had any negative feelings about the three defendants. More than half raised their hands.

After being questioned as a group, the potential jurors were questioned individually. Their answers reflected the intense attention the case has attracted, their existing ideas about the case and their apprehensions about being involved in such a high-profile case.

An Air Force veteran and gun owner who was the first to be questioned said he had a negative impression of Greg McMichael but not the other defendants.

"I got the impression he was stalking," the man said, saying he based that on news coverage and from seeing the video of the shooting "fewer than five times."

"From what I observed, he appeared to be the lead dog," the panel member said of Greg McMichael, a retired investigator for the local district attorney's office. Still, he said he had not made up his mind about innocence or guilt.

Another panelist said he had seen so much about the slaying in the news and on social media that "I'm sick of it."

He said he shared the video of Arbery's shooting on social media and discussed the case with his brothers — one of whom was also among the 1,000 people mailed a jury summons in the case.

A retired accountant said she had negative feelings about the defendants but tried to avoid an opinion on guilt or innocence. She also expressed misgivings about sitting on the jury.

"How would I feel if I was asked to render a verdict that was unpopular?" she said. "Any verdict, guilty or innocent, is going to be unpopular with some people."

"Maybe I'd even feel unsafe," she added.

The court hasn't identified the race of any of the prospective jurors.

Arbery's killing stoked outrage during a period of national protests over racial injustice. More than two months passed before the McMichaels and Bryan were charged and jailed — only after the video leaked online and state investigators took over the case.

Prosecutors say Arbery was merely jogging when the McMichaels grabbed guns and chased him in a pickup truck. Bryan joined the pursuit in his own truck and recorded the now-infamous cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery three times at close range with a shotgun.

As she was questioned by defense attorneys, one potential juror — a young woman who's a teacher — had harsh words for Bryan.

"His videotaping the scene was disgusting and vicious," she said. "However, at the same time I'm thankful that he did, because we are able to see what happened."

Defense attorneys insist the three men committed no crimes. Greg McMichael told police they believed Arbery was a burglar after security cameras previously recorded him entering a nearby home under construction. He said Travis McMichael fired in self-defense after Arbery punched him and tried to grab his weapon.

Investigators have testified that they found no evidence of crimes by Arbery, who was unarmed, in the Satilla Shores subdivision.

As a precaution against the coronavirus, 600 jury pool members were ordered to report to a gymnasium to provide room for social distancing. They were summoned to the courthouse in groups of 20, Glynn County Superior Court Clerk Ronald Adams said.

Ultimately, 12 jurors will be seated plus four alternates to fill in for any jurors who get sick or are dismissed before the trial ends.

The judge dismissed eight total potential jurors before adjourning Monday evening. Four others were individually interviewed but no final decision was made on their status. Jury selection was to resume Tuesday morning.

Once a jury is seated, the trial itself could take more than two weeks, Adams said.

Stockton, California, police said that an arrest was made after a man was shot seven times in what authorities had been investigating as a possible hate crime. The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office confirmed later that it will be moving forward with hate crime charges.Detectives with the Stockton Police Department arrested Michael Hayes, 31, in connection with the Friday shooting of 45-year-old Bobby Gayle Jr., a news release said. Hayes was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail and is facing attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon and weapons charges.“I would like to thank the anonymous tipster and the hard work of our detectives for bringing a quick resolution to this case for the victim and his family,” Stockton police Chief Eric Jones said in a prepared statement. “Gun violence is not tolerated in our community.”Part of Friday night's violence was captured in surveillance footage obtained by KCRA 3. Bobby, a cement mason, was preparing to do some work with a friend near the Wells Fargo Bank on Pacific Avenue near Rivara Road when a driver going backward almost hit them, said Bobby's brother, Dr. Marlon Gayle."My brother threw his hands up, was like, 'Hey, man, slow down. What's going on, like slow down,'" Marlon said. “And the guy got out his truck, parked his truck, got out, and he started saying the 'n' word and just started shooting."Bobby is seen on the right of the video holding his hands up as a gunman on the left shoots. Marlon said two of the shots hit Bobby in his face.Even though he was injured in the shooting, Bobby managed to call for his brother, Marlon recalled, and played a voicemail that said, "Marlon, I've been shot. Pray for me. I swear to God. Please. In the name of Jesus. Hallelujah."Marlon said none of the bullets pierced any major arteries. He is expected to survive.Gayle remains in the hospital, but his family said he's recovering."I'm in pain a little bit right now. But it's a good pain and just I can feel myself being carried by the lord. This is the lord's work. My brother wants me to slow down — I can't go back out there and work," Gayle said in a recorded video to KCRA 3.The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office said Hayes could be arraigned on Monday.

Bobby Gayle Jr., a California resident, is relying on his friends, family and faith after he was shot seven times in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime.A part of the violence that Friday night was captured in surveillance footage obtained by sister station KCRA. Bobby, a cement mason, was preparing to do some work with a friend when a driver going backward almost hit them, Bobby's brother Marlon Gayle said."My brother threw his hands up, was like, 'Hey, man, slow down. What's going on, like slow down,'" Marlon said, "And the guy got out his truck, parked his truck, got out, and he started saying the N-word and just started shooting."Bobby was seen on the right of the video holding his hands up as a gunman on the left shoots. Marlon said two of the shots hit Bobby in his face. Even though he was injured in the shooting, Bobby managed to call for his brother, Marlon recalled and played a voicemail that said, "Marlon, I've been shot. Pray for me. I swear to God. Please. In the name of Jesus. Hallelujah."Sirens could be heard in the background of the voicemail. Bobby was also able to call 911 for help. Despite the gunman shouting racial comments, the family has held firm on their beliefs, using that as a source of strength while Bobby recovers."We believe in love. We believe in forgiveness, but at the same time, white supremacy, hatred, bigotry, and all of that – we stand against that," Marlon said. Police said Bobby, 45, is expected to survive his injuries. Even though Bobby was hit several times, Marlon said none of the bullets pierced any major arteries.The department is asking the public's help in finding the man, pictured in the surveillance footage. "We take these types of crimes very seriously and so we're investigating it to the fullest. We have some detectives assigned to it, as well as an officer that's assigned to the FBI task force," assistant police Chief Jim Chraska said.Watch the video above for the full story.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va — The Virginia Beach Police Department said Thursday that the "disturbing and reprehensible" situation occurring between neighbors on Jessamine Court has stopped and will not be prosecuted.

According to the department, in October 2020, officers responded to several calls for service related to nuisance and loud music complaints on the street.

A neighbor claimed that another neighbor was playing "offensive sounds, lights and words" at a high volume, including banjo music, racial slurs, and animal sounds.

“The lights on his house would start blinking because as we step out of our home, we would trigger sensors that would then turn on music,” said Jannique Martinez, who lives next door. “We had one family that as soon as they’d pull up in their driveway, the music would start.”

Martinez said her youngest son was affected the most by the taunting.

"He was terrified," she said. "He would be afraid to go get his ball if it ever went over there, or he would constantly feel like he would come out and yell at him, which he has before."

Police Chief Paul Neudigate said he spoke directly with the complainant in the case Thursday, who told her neighbor to stop playing the noises.

"I was pleased to hear from her that the offensive behavior voluntarily ceased as of Sept. 23 and has not reoccured," Neudigate said in a statement. "I assured Ms. Martinez that the Virginia Beach Police Department will continue to assist with her concerns, and she should not hesitate to call if the behavior recurs."

After they conducted a thorough investigation, the department said that the City Attorney, Magistrate, and Commonwealth's Attorney are "all in agreement" that the neighbor's behavior does not rise to the level of a crime under Virginia statutes.

The statutes in which "may only criminalize words that constitute true threats or are reasonably likely to provoke an immediate breach of the peace."

"The sounds, lights, and words displayed from within the home on Jessamine Court, while offensive and unacceptable, do not meet that standard. Therefore, the current evidence does not support a criminal charge," the department said.

Police also said the loud music doesn’t go above the noise level in the city ordinance.

Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police Executive Director Dana Schrad said to charge someone with a hate crime in this type of matter; you have to have specific intent and prove that someone intended to instill fear or intimidation against a person, or purposely harassed them because of their particular class.

“The defense part of this is, does the individual have a free speech right that would be in some way, they have a first amendment right to communicate whatever they want,” Schrad said. “You can have [a] bias against anybody; it’s not a crime to do that. The crime occurs when you specifically intend to harass or intimidate when your speech elevates to that level.”

Because he didn’t make any direct threats to her family, Martinez said there’s not much that can be done.

“I felt deflated,” she said. “I felt so defeated. I just felt like I couldn’t protect my kids. I couldn’t imagine living like this.”

According to the department, officials continue to explore other avenues of redress, including contacting the FBI to see if there was anything actionable from a federal standpoint. In the meantime, the Civil Division of the Attorney General's Office is investigating.

"My Office of Civil Rights is in touch with the victims of this harassment, and we are working alongside them and state entities to stop it," Attorney General Mark Herring said in a tweet. "Race-based harassment and discrimination in housing is illegal, and I will not allow it to happen in Virginia."

Antoinette DelBel at WTKR first reported this story.

LAS VEGAS — A 58-year-old man was arrested for a hate crime after allegedly smeared raw bacon on a Muslim family’s home in the Las Vegas valley.

Ricky Uwich is facing charges of harassment, stalking, and being a nuisance, all based on a person’s perceived race, color, religion, or national origin.

On June 21, a Las Vegas police officer responded to a call from Uwich’s residence.

Uwich told the responding officer that a neighboring family was “constantly” bothering him, and he did not like them because they are Muslim. He also accused the family of being terrorists.

The officer then contacted the family, who explained that the issues with Uwich began in January and had only gotten worse despite attempts to make peace with Uwich, including cooking his meals. They showed the police officer multiple text messages from Uwich where he accused them of breaking a chandelier in his home despite having never been inside and of molesting a juvenile who lives with Uwich.

The family also showed the officer a video of Uwich smearing their door, doorknob, handrails, and wall with uncooked bacon two days earlier. Muslims do not eat pork because it is considered unclean.

RAW: Man wipes bacon on Muslim family's home

Additionally, they provided photos of Uwich placing the bacon on their car and video from their Ring doorbell camera video of Uwich shouting profanities and making threats.

One of the family members was visibly upset when talking to the police and stated that the bacon incident made her feel disgusting and dirty. The family member also expressed fear that Uwich would become more violent.

When confronted, Uwich admitted smearing the bacon and said he did so because he does not like Muslims because he believes they perpetrated the 9/11 attacks.

The arrest report did not identify the family, and the location of the incident was redacted in the report.

Joyce Lupiani at KTNV first reported this story.

WASHINGTON —

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene apologized Monday for affronting people with recent comments comparing the required wearing of safety masks in the House to the horrors of the Holocaust.

"I'm truly sorry for offending people with remarks about the Holocaust," the Georgia Republican told reporters outside the Capitol, saying she had visited Washington's U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum earlier in the day. "There's no comparison and there never ever will be."

Greene's comments were a rare expression of regret by the conservative agitator, a freshman whose career has included the embrace of violent and offensive conspiracy theories and angry confrontations with progressive colleagues.

Her apology came more than three weeks after appearing on a conservative podcast and comparing COVID-19 safety requirements adopted by Democrats controlling the House to "a time and history where people were told to wear a gold star." She said they were "put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany. This is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about."

Her comments were condemned by Republican leaders, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who called the comparison "appalling."

GOP leaders have often been reluctant to castigate Greene, a close ally of former President Donald Trump. After social media posts were unearthed in which Greene suggested support for executing some Democratic leaders, McCarthy and most Republicans stood by her when the House took the unusual step of stripping her of her committee assignments in February.

But as House members returned to the Capitol on Monday after a three-week break, Greene was contrite.

"Anti-Semitism is true hate," she said. "And I saw that today at the Holocaust Museum."

In 2018, two years before her election to Congress, she speculated on Facebook that California wildfires may have been caused by "lasers or blue beams of light" controlled by a left-wing cabal tied to a powerful Jewish family.

On Monday, she told reporters that when she was 19, she visited the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. "It isn't like I learned about it today," she said of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews and huge numbers of other people were killed. "I went today because I thought it was important," she said, and wanted to talk about it as she apologized.

House leaders have recently said vaccinated people no longer must wear masks in the chamber.

CHICAGO — Founded more than 500 years ago in the Punjab region of South Asia, the Sikh faith has more than 25 million adherents worldwide. There are some 500,000 Sikhs living in the U.S. today, with the first immigrating in the late 1800s.

Four of the eight victims in last week’s deadly mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis were Indian Americans of the Sikh faith. Now, activists, artists and political leaders are calling for solidarity and acknowledgement.

At a virtual vigil for the victims of the FedEx mass shooting thousands mourned the loss of life.

A large majority of employees at the FedEx warehouse facility were of the Sikh faith. It's something that some allege the shooter, a former FedEx worker, would have known when he opened fire.

Among the dead four Sikh Americans: Amarjeet Johal, 66; Jasvinder Kaur, 50; Jaswinder Singh, 68 And Amarjit Sekhon, 48.

“People have been, you know, shaken in agony and pain. We've been quiet. We've been gathering together among ourselves to tend to each other, said Valarie Kaur, civil rights activist, attorney, and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project.

“This vigil was a way to invite people to stand in solidarity with Sikhs and see us not just as victims, but as people who have something to offer for how to find resilience and longevity in the face of ongoing injustice."

The murders come as anti-Asian hate crimes have been surging. On Thursday, with wide bipartisan support, the Senate passed a hate crime bill condemning discrimination against Asian communities in the U.S.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and the advocacy group Sikh Coalition have called for an investigation into whether the Indianapolis attack was driven by anti-Sikh motivations.

“The fact that the shooter had reportedly been on white supremacist websites is a critical piece of new and relevant information,” said Sim J. Singh, senior manager of policy and advocacy at the Sikh Coalition. “And that's why we're still underscoring the need for that investigation with potential bias, motivation.”

“We have been hearing eyewitness accounts from the ground that the gunman specifically targeted Sikh employees during his rampage. In essence, he hunted us,” said Kaur.

Anti-Sikh sentiment and violence is not new. In the aftermath of 9/11, more than 700 attacks and discriminatory harassment were reported against the community.

Balbir Singh Sodhi, an Arizona gas station owner who possibly targeted because of his turban and beard, was murdered in the first post-9/11 retaliatory hate incident.

“People believed that individuals who look like myself weren't really a part of the United States,” said Singh.

In 2012, a white supremacist fatally shot six worshippers at a Sikh Temple in the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek. It sent shockwaves through the tightknit community.

“He knew that he was shooting up a Sikh house of worship,” said Singh. “This was not a case of mistaken identity.”

“In the wake of Oak Creek, we were just trying to get the nation to talk about white supremacy and our community in that narrative, but we couldn't even get them to pronounce Sikh or ‘Seek’ or know who we were or what we were about. And then, the nation moved on,” said Kaur.

And concern is growing.

According to a new Pew study, 32 percent of Asian adults say they have feared someone might threaten or physically attack them, more than other racial or ethnic group. The vast majority (81 percent) also say violence against them is increasing.

“My own son heard the words ‘Go back to your country’ when he was only 4 years old,” said Kaur. “And memories from Oak Creek are coming back to me, memories from post 9/11 are coming back to me, and all of us are in this kind of deep trauma as a community.”

Kaur says in light of the killings in Indianapolis, it’s time for others to recognize that racial violence must be called out and reckoned with.

“We're calling for our fellow advocates to use the hashtag #StandwithSikhs to see us as part of the broader narrative to hashtag #StopAsianHate to see us as part of the broader narrative to stop and end racial violence in this country.”

For now, the Sikh community is standing in solidarity and praying for justice.

The 2017 death of an Asian American teenager in her Colorado home is now being investigated as a hate crime, according to the FBI.Maggie Long's body was found after officials responded to a house fire in Bailey, Colorado, the FBI said. According to 911 calls, there reportedly were people inside the residence causing damage, the FBI said. The report said at least one male was on the property.The crime scene investigation, the FBI said, revealed a physical altercation took place between Long and her assailants before the fire started. The agency reported the suspects stole a Beretta handgun, an AK-47-style rifle, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, a green safe and jade figurine.The El Paso County Coroner's Office ruled Long's death on Dec. 1, 2017, as a homicide, the FBI said.The FBI's Denver office didn't say which form of bias is being investigated in Long's case. The agency defines a hate crime as criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by the offender's bias against a religion, disability, ethnicity/national origin, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity.Sisters were initially surprisedCNN affiliate KUSA-TV spoke with the victim's sisters, Lynna and Connie Long, who said they were initially surprised when they learned the murder was being investigated as a hate crime."We just haven't experienced that type of violence firsthand, but knowing what happened to Maggie and just the nature of the violence, it is something that should be taken into consideration," Connie Long said. "Her race, her gender, you know, all of those are contributing factors for why these perpetrators thought it was OK to do that to her."Lynna Long added: "The crime that was committed against my sister is a crime that was committed against an Asian American woman." Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw, whose office is also investigating the murder, said treating the case as a hate crime allows his department to qualify for more funding and resources.McGraw said there are no known suspects. He said the sheriff's department, as well as the FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigations, are pursuing leads whenever they are presented.The FBI and the Long family have pooled a $75,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the murder case."The biggest thing to get out is if you know anything, please call. You don't know how far something little will go," McGraw said.Lynna Long said the circumstances since the murder have changed, and she hopes that could incentivize people to come forward with information."Maybe now the people who may have known something in December 2017 are now in a place where they can speak to their truth," she said.

This story is a part of Hearst Television's series "Hate in the Homeland." Our National Investigative Unit is uncovering the battle against hateful acts in America. Stay with this station for more stories on the fight against Hate in the Homeland.Hate crimes are surging in America. According to a report released by the FBI in November, hate crimes in the U.S. rose to the highest level in more than a decade as federal officials also recorded the highest number of hate-motivated killings since the FBI began collecting that data in the early 1990s.The March shootings at three Atlanta-area spas spurred the U.S. Senate to pass an anti-Asian hate crimes bill and the three men charged in the death of Ahmad Arbery in Georgia now face federal hate crime indictments. So, what is a hate crime in the U.S.?Simply put, a hate crime is an incident that must include both "hate" and a "crime."The Department of Justice says the term "hate" can be misleading. It doesn’t mean that a perpetrator is angry at or dislikes a person. "Hate," in the context of a hate crime, means a bias against people or groups with specific characteristics that are defined by the law. The "crime" part is often violent, like an assault or murder. Property damage, threats to commit the crime, or even conspiring to commit the crime also qualify."At the federal level, hate crime laws include crimes committed on the basis of the victim’s perceived or actual race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability," the DOJ says. Which states have hate crime legislation on the books?All but three states — Arkansas, South Carolina and Wyoming — have some form of legislation on hate crimes. While they vary from state to state, most state hate crime laws include crimes committed on the basis of race, color and religion. Many also include crimes committed on the basis of sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability. Currently, 20 states do not require data collection on such crimes, according to the Justice Department. Without state data collection, not only does national data on hate crimes remain incomplete, but vulnerable communities are less likely to receive support.When were hate crimes first recognized?In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the first federal hate crimes statute into law. The statute made it a crime to use, or threaten to use, force to willfully interfere with any person because of race, color, religion, or national origin and because the person is participating in a federally protected activity.In 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded the federal definition of hate crimes. The law removed then existing jurisdictional obstacles to prosecutions of certain race- and religion-motivated violence, and added new federal protections against crimes based on gender, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation.CNN contributed to this report.