Buffalo supermarket gunman faces life in prison
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A white supremacist was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday. 10 black men killed in a Buffalo supermarket He faced an attack online fueled by racist conspiracy theories.
Peyton Gendron is scheduled to appear in Erie County Court, where he Pleaded guilty in November Charges include murder and domestic terrorism motivated by hatred. The terrorism charge carries an automatic life sentence.
Relatives of several victims are expected to speak during the hearing, giving them a chance to address the judge and the killer responsible for their grief.
Gendron, now 19, was wearing bullet-resistant armor and a helmet equipped with a live streaming camera when he carried out the May 14 attack. He killed his victims with a semi-automatic rifle, purchased legally but then modified so he could load it with high-capacity ammunition magazines that are illegal in New York.
Only three survived after he shot 13 people, specifically to hunt down black shopkeepers and workers.
His victims at Topps Friendly Market included a church deacon, a grocery store guard, a neighborhood worker, a man buying birthday cakes, a grandmother of nine and the mother of a former Buffalo fire commissioner. The age of the victims is 32 to 86.
In documents posted online, Gendron said he hoped the attack would help preserve white power in the U.S. He wrote that he chose the Topps grocery store, about a three-hour drive from his home in Conklin, New York, because it was a predominantly black neighborhood.
Although a life sentence was confirmed for Gendron, he also faces Separate federal charges That could carry the death penalty if the US Department of Justice wanted to seek it.
Gendron’s guilty plea to the state charges is seen as potentially helping him avoid the death penalty in the penalty phase of any federal trial. At a December hearing, defense attorney Sonya Zoghlin said Gendron was prepared to plead guilty in federal court in exchange for a life sentence.
A mass shooting in Buffalo, and another less than two weeks later that killed 19 students and two teachers. Texas Elementary SchoolWidespread calls for stronger gun control, including those from victims’ relatives Traveled to Washington, DC to testify before the lawmakers.
New York legislators quickly passed a law banning the sale of semiautomatic rifles to most people under the age of 21. The state also prohibits the sale of certain types of body armor.
Signed by President Joe Biden Compromise gun violence bill June is intended to tighten background checks, keep firearms from more domestic violence offenders and help states enact red flag laws to make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people they deem dangerous.
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