Jury charges Buffalo shooting suspect with domestic terrorism
Mourners hold hands near a Tops Grocery store in Buffalo, New York, on May 15, 2022. – Grieving residents from the US city of Buffalo held vigils Sunday after a white gunman who officials have deemed “pure evil” shot dead 10 people at a grocery store in a racially-motivated rampage. (Photo by Usman KHAN / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Usman Ukalizai has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: byline is [Usman KHAN] instead of [Usman Ukalizai]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by USMAN KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A grand jury Wednesday charged the white 18-year-old accused of fatally shooting 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket with domestic terrorism motivated by hate and 10 counts of first-degree murder.
Payton Gendron, who has been in custody since the May 14 shooting, is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Erie County Court.
Gendron had previously been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting, which also injured three people. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors told a judge May 20 the grand jury had voted to indict Gendron but was continuing its investigation. It was unclear whether the finalized indictment contains any new allegations against Gendron.
Federal authorities also are investigating the possibility of hate crime charges against Gendron, who apparently detailed his plans and his racist motivation in hundreds of pages of writings he posted online shortly before the shooting. The attack was livestreamed from a helmet-mounted camera.
Gendron drove about three hours from his home in Conklin, New York, intending to kill as many Black people as possible, investigators have said.
His attorney, Brian Parker, said he had not seen the indictment and could not comment, adding that prosecution and defense attorneys have been barred by a judge from discussing the case publicly.
