Monitoring Desk
NEW YORK: A self-declared white supremacist who massacred 10 people in a Buffalo supermarket shooting in an area with a significant black population has pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of murder and hate-motivated terrorism, US media has reported.
The New York shooter live-streamed the massacre as he mercilessly went on a killing spree. Payton Gendron, 19, will serve the rest of his life in jail after pleading guilty to a state charge of domestic terrorism motivated by hatred in connection with the shooting in Buffalo, New York, in May.
John Flynn, the district attorney for Erie County, stated that Gendron had admitted guilt to all charges brought against him, including one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, three counts of attempted murder, and 10 counts of first-degree murder.
During Monday’s hearing, according to reporters present in the courtroom, Gendron used the word “guilty” 15 times.
The New York supermarket massacre
The then 18-year-old left his hometown of Conklin, more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) away, on May 14 to murder as many Black people as he could, according to the prosecution.
Before entering the supermarket, in Buffalo, New York, Gendron shot four individuals in the store’s parking lot, killing three while carrying an AR-15 assault weapon.
An ex-cop serving as a security guard was among those slain inside. According to authorities, he fired numerous bullets at the attacker before being shot.
The attacker broadcasted the two-minute assault live on the Twitch streaming platform while donning a helmet with a camera attached to it. The ages of the victims varied from 32 to 86. Of the 13 victims that were shot, 11 were Black, and 2 were White.
Within hours after the incident, police detained Gendron, and investigators discovered a 180-page dossier outlining his racial motivations for the killing on his computer.
New York’s domestic terrorism offense
The state’s domestic terrorism offense was created in 2020, and Gendron is the first individual in New York to be found guilty of it.
His official sentencing is scheduled on February 15 of the following year, although the crime carries a mandatory term of life in prison without the possibility of release.
According to Gendron’s defense lawyer, Brian Parker, Gendron will not appeal the guilty pleas.
He still faces federal hate crime accusations and could receive the death penalty.
Gendron had previously pleaded not guilty to a single count of first-degree murder before the addition of the additional charges by the state.
