Alleged Buffalo Shooter Hit With 20 Counts of Murder, Single Domestic Terrorism Charge

According to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as an event where four or more victims are shot or killed, not including the shooter, the United States has had 232 mass shooting events in 2022 and over 18,000 people have died of gun violence.

A Grand Jury in Erie County, New York, has indicted Payton Gendron, 18, with 10 counts of first-degree murder, 10 counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime, three counts of attempted murder, one gun charge, and one domestic terrorism charge. The charges are in relation to the May 14 shooting in Buffalo that ended with 10 Black residents dead and three more injured.

In total, Gendron has been charged with 25 crimes.

Gendron is accused of shooting 13 people at a Tops Supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Buffalo, New York. It is one of the worst racially-motivated shootings in recent history. He was previously charged with one count of first-degree murder, to which he pleaded not guilty.

The domestic terrorism charge comes from a bill passed by former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in response to a mass shooting where the gunman specifically targeted individuals believed to be Mexican at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. The law took effect in November 2020. The charge accuses Gendron of murdering his victims “because of [their] perceived race and/or color.”

Gendron will be arraigned on Thursday afternoon, when he will be expected to enter a plea on the charges.

Months before the shooting, Gendron posted racist ramblings in a private diary section of Discord and detailed plans to carry out a mass shooting in Buffalo. He also posted pictures of himself holding an AR-15 style rifle, the same gun authorities say he used in the shooting.

Gendron faces life without the possibility of parole for the domestic terrorism charge alone. The additional charges will undoubtedly ensure he never leaves prison if found guilty.

The shooting was also livestreamed on popular gaming platform Twitch, with the shooter having utilized a helmet-mounted camera to capture the footage.

Investigators say that Glendron drove roughly three hours from his house in Conklin, New York, with the intention of murdering as many Black Americans as he could.

The shooting took place just 10 days before the Uvalde shooting in Texas, that ended with 22 people dead - including 19 children, two teachers and the shooter.

Gendron’s attorney, Brian Parker, stated that he has not seen the indictment but would not be able to comment on it when he does as both the prosecution and defense attorneys have been barred from speaking publicly about the case.