Payton Gendron verdict: Buffalo gunman lunged at by family member of victim in dramatic court moment

The sentencing of Payton Gendron, 19, who opened fire at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, last year, was interrupted after a victim's relative rushed at Gendron during the sentencing hearing, shouting, "You don't know what we're going through."

The victim's relative was restrained and led away by court officers, per reports from within the courtroom. Gendron was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday.

BUFFALO SHOOTER PLEADS GUILTY TO 15 CHARGES, INCLUDING TERRORISM AND MURDER

Gendron entered a Tops Friendly Markets on May 14, 2022, killing 10 black people and injuring three others. Gendron pleaded guilty in November 2022 to 15 criminal charges, including terrorism and first-degree murder. Terrorism automatically carries a life sentence.

The supermarket was located in a predominantly black area of the city. Gendron posted a 180-page manifesto online in which he confessed to the attack and said his actions were racially motivated. He labeled himself as a fascist, white supremacist, and antisemite.

He targeted the supermarket and area because it had "the highest black percentage that is close enough to where I live," Gendron reportedly wrote.

© Provided by Washington Examiner Police walk outside the Tops grocery store on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. Payton Gendron is set to be sentenced to life in prison Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023 for killing 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket in an attack fueled by racist conspiracy theories he encountered online. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex, File) Joshua Bessex/AP

Gendron wore bullet-resistant armor and a helmet that livestreamed the attack on May 14. He used a semi-automatic rifle to carry out the murders, purchased legally, per the Associated Press. However, he modified the gun to load it with high-capacity ammunition magazines that are illegal in New York.

Charges against Gendron included New York's first use of the terrorism motivated by hate charge since it became available in 2020, per CNN.

Kimberly Salter, the widow of security guard and victim Aaron Salter, said during the hearing that she and her family were wearing red and black for a reason.

"Red for the blood that he shed for his family and for his community, and black because we are still grieving," Kimberly Salter said.

© Provided by Washington Examiner FILE - Payton Gendron is led into the courtroom for a hearing at Erie County Court, in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 19, 2022. The white supremacist is set to be sentenced to life in prison Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, for killing 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket in an attack fueled by racist conspiracy theories he encountered online. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) Matt Rourke/AP

Gendron also faces 26 counts of federal hate crimes, which he has not pleaded guilty to. The federal charges carry a death sentence, should the U.S. Justice Department choose to pursue it. New York does not have a death penalty.

The admission of guilt in the state charges was largely designed to avoid a death penalty sentence with the federal charges.

The shooting at the Buffalo supermarket was one of the deadliest mass shootings in 2022 and one of the most high-profile crimes of the year. It was overshadowed two weeks later by the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, at Robb Elementary School that killed 19 students and two teachers.

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Both shootings prompted calls from state and federal lawmakers to strengthen gun laws and domestic terrorism prevention. After battles between Democrats and Republicans, Congress eventually passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in June 2022, with President Joe Biden signing the bill into law on June 25.

The law makes it easier for law enforcement to confiscate a firearm or block a purchase if the person is deemed a danger to themselves or others, as well as tightening background checks and closing the "boyfriend loophole."

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Tags: Mass Shootings, New York, African Americans, Crime, News

Original Author: Rachel Schilke

Original Location: Payton Gendron verdict: Buffalo gunman lunged at by family member of victim in dramatic court moment