The suspect accused of shooting 13 people, killing ten, at a Buffalo supermarket in May was charged Wednesday with domestic terrorism and murder.
Suspect Payton Gendron, 18, was arrested after allegedly committing the attack and is due to be arraigned in Erie County Court on Thursday. Eleven of the victims of the attack are black, and Gendron allegedly posted a document online prior to the shooting espousing racist views.
An Erie County grand jury charged Gendron with 25 counts including one count of domestic terrorism motivated by hate, with the indictment claiming Gendron acted “because of the perceived race and/or color of such person or persons” among the victims of the attack. Additionally, the grand jury charged Gendron with ten counts each of first-degree murder and second-degree murder, all as hate crimes, with three counts of attempted murder as a hate crime and a weapons possession charge.
The domestic-terrorism charge carries a sentence of life in prison without parole if Gendron is convicted.
Funeral services for victims of the attack have been held over the past several weeks, with three funerals scheduled for this Friday.
The shooting drew condemnation from local, state, and national political figures.
“A military-style execution targeting people who simply want to buy groceries in a neighborhood store. It strikes us to our very hearts to know that there is such evil that lurks out there,” New York governor Kathy Hochul said at a press conference after the shooting.
“This is a tragic day in the City of Buffalo. This defendant is accused of traveling to our area and targeting innocent people who were shopping for their groceries on a Saturday afternoon,” Erie County district attorney John Flynn said in a statement at the time. “My office is working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners in law enforcement into potential terrorism and hate crimes.”