Payton Gendron, 19, was accused on July 14 by a federal grand jury for his alleged participation in the Tops Friendly Market shop mass shooting in Buffalo, New York. He was charged with 27 counts of a firearm and hate crime. Payton Gendron is accused of carrying out the assault using legal weapons on May 14, 2022, killing 10 individuals and wounding three more. The incident is believed to have been racially motivated, and the adolescent is suspected of being an ethno-nationalist with white supremacist ties.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said the following in an official statement:
“Today, a grand jury indicted Payton Gendron on hate crime and weapons charges in connection with the tragic assault on Buffalo’s Black community on May 14, 2022, which killed ten people and wounded three more.”
Robert Crimo, Dylan Roof, Robert Long, Payton Gendron, and James Holmes, white men, murdered 45 people.
Police fired 0 bullets/arrested them.
Walter Scott, Laquan McDonald, Sean Bell, and Jayland Walker, Black men, harmed 0 people.
Police fired 164 bullets/murdered them.
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) July 6, 2022
According to the indictment, Gendron may have targeted the grocery especially since it is known to cater to a large number of African American consumers. He faces ten counts of deadly hate crime and one count of hate crime for allegedly targeting Black persons in and near the business. In addition to the hate crime, he faces 13 charges of firing a weapon.
Is Payton Gendron A White Supremacist?
Police discovered a political manifesto in which Payton Gendron proclaimed his support for the far-right. The self-proclaimed white nationalist also thinks that Caucasians face genocide at the hands of minorities. According to the formal accusation, Gendron’s stated belief in the prospect of white genocide drove him to perpetrate the slaughter. It stated:
“Gendron’s motivation for the mass shooting was to prevent Black people from replacing white people and eradicating the white race, as well as to urge others to carry out similar atrocities.”
Garland acknowledged that investigators had connected Payton Gendron to the white nationalist cause, saying:
“The Justice Department fully realizes the danger that white nationalist violence presents to American safety and democracy.”
The attorney continued:
We will remain steadfast in our efforts to stop hate crimes, protect communities traumatized by them, and hold those who commit them responsibly.”
Authorities claim Gendron inscribed racial messages on his guns, including “Here are your reparations!” The arrest document also includes more evidence that the kid was involved with the white nationalist cause.
According to the affidavit, the gunman wrote in his manifesto:
“(I must) carry out this assault because I am concerned about the survival of the white race.”
It will be decided whether or not Gendron will get the death sentence on an unspecified date. According to the defendant’s counsel, the decision on whether or not to execute him might take up to a year.
