Payton Gendron entered a plea of guilty on Monday to state charges related to the shooting that occurred in Buffalo’s Tops supermarket in May.
In total, Gendron admitted guilt to 15 charges, which included murder and attempted murder as well as domestic terrorism motivated by hatred. More than a dozen federal charges against him remain, some of which carry the death penalty. The date of his sentencing is set for February 15, 2023. Hate-based domestic terrorism carries a mandatory life sentence.
Following the hearing, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn remarked, “Thank God the families and the victims who survived this and this community don’t have to endure a long, protracted trial. Nothing will ever bring back the 10 beautiful people who lost their lives on that day. This past Thursday on Thanksgiving, there were 10 empty chairs at the Thanksgiving dinner … I can never provide full closure. There’s never going to be full closure for the families.”
According to the district attorney’s indictment, Gendron fatally shot 10 Black people “because of the perceived race and/or color” of the victims.
Along with 10 counts of first-degree murder, 10 counts of murder in the second degree as a hate crime, three counts of attempted murder as a hate crime, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon, he was accused of committing a “domestic act of terrorism motivated by hate.”
In addition to practicing shooting at state parks in Broome County, according to Flynn, Gendron illegally modified his gun and wrote a 180-page racist manifesto that included the names of previous mass murderers who Gendron admired.
According to previous reports by ABC News, Gendron’s motivation for the Buffalo attack has been linked to white supremacist online rhetoric, including the propagation of racial conspiracy theories. According to authorities, Gendron made the trip from his residence close to Binghamton, New York, to carry out the shooting.
The objectives of the attack, according to a Gendron document found by investigators, were “to kill as many African Americans as possible, avoid dying, and spread ideals,” according to Flynn. The defendant’s hateful beliefs, particularly his hatred of Jews, immigrants, and other minorities, were also described in the document.
A 2020 statute was implemented after a shooting targeting woman in El Paso, Texas, and Gendron is the first person to be charged there with domestic terrorism motivated by hate.
Federal prosecutors have accused him of committing a total of 26 counts of a hate crime that resulted in death and another that resulted in bodily harm. He is also accused of murder during a violent crime while in possession of a firearm. The public defender for Gendron entered a not guilty plea on his behalf in July.
“His decision to plead guilty will deliver the families some justice, but it will not end the racism that drove him to kill in the first place,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of civil rights group National Action Network. “That horrific day was the byproduct of a white supremacy so blatant that its followers don’t hide under a hood — they livestream their hate for everyone to see,” referring to the livestream of the shooting captured by a camera on Gendron’s helmet during the attack.
The families of Buffalo victims are expected to speak following the hearing.
