An 18-year-old gunman shot 10 people to death and wounded three at a grocery store in upstate New York. The racial attack was documented in a live stream on Twitch.
Gunman kills 10 and wounds 8 in a racial attack
Authorities suspect the 18-year-old suspect, armed with an assault-style rifle acted alone. he drove several hours away from home to Buffalo to launch the attack. Additionally, he also live-streamed it on Twitch. According to the authorities, 11 out of 13 victims were Black. The suspect is Payton Gendron of Conklin, a town with about 5,000 people. “He was arraigned hours after the shooting in state court on first-degree murder charges, which carry a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole,” stated Erie County District Attorney John Flynn. Additionally, he added that the judge ordered Gendron to remain in custody without bail and undergo forensic examinations. The teen should be returning to court on May 19.
More details on the suspect
The authorities reveal that the gunman was a teenager studying at the State University of New York’s Broome Community College near Binghamton. Prior to his arrest, he was close to taking his own life. When confronted by the police, he was holding a gun to his own neck. However, the authorities talked him into dropping the weapon and surrendering.
Stephen Belongia, an FBI special agent in charge of the field office stated that the attack will undergo further investigation. Calling the hate crime a “racially motivated violent extremism” under federal law. “This person was pure evil. It was a straight-up racially motivated hate crime from somebody outside of our community,” said Erie County Sheriff John Garcia. Additionally, President Biden decried it as an abhorrent to the very fabric of this nation”. “Hate must have no safe harbor. We must do everything in our power to end hate-fueled domestic terrorism,” he added.