BUFFALO, NEW YORK: Federal prosecutors in the United States have announced that 20-year-old Payton Gendron, who killed 10 Black people in a live-streamed supermarket rampage in Buffalo, New York, will face the death penalty. Gendron had entered a guilty plea to state charges of murder and hate-motivated domestic terrorism in the 2022 attack and is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
The decision to pursue the death penalty was announced by Trini Ross, the US attorney for western New York, who stated that Gendron had chosen the grocery “in order to maximize the number of Black victims.” The decision was based on a range of criteria, including the considerable preparation preceding the shooting and the decision to target at least one victim who was “particularly vulnerable due to old age and infirmity.”
On May 14, 2022, Gendron, wearing thick body armor and carrying an AR-15 assault rifle, drove from his hometown of Conklin, which was more than 322 kilometers (200 miles) away. Before entering the grocery store, he shot four people in the parking lot, three of them fatally. Gendron also broadcast the two-minute assault live on Twitch, wearing a helmet equipped with a camera.
The 86 deceased victims included eight customers, the store security officer, and a church deacon who took customers to and from the store with their supplies. The ages of the deceased ranged from 32 to 86, and three others were injured but survived the attack.
It is worth noting that the US has seen an increase in mass shootings and excessive gun violence, leading to repeated protests for stricter gun laws. Federal death penalty prosecutions have been rare since US President Joe Biden took office four years ago, according to the Department of Justice. Despite Biden’s campaign promise to back legislation abolishing the death penalty, the Justice Department under Attorney General Merrick Garland has allowed the prosecution of two cases to continue to the death penalty and stopped pursuing the death penalty in over twenty cases. In 2021, Garland also imposed a suspension on federal executions while processes were reviewed.
In summary, Payton Gendron, the shooter responsible for killing 10 Black people in a live-streamed supermarket rampage in Buffalo, New York, will face the death penalty from federal prosecutors. He had chosen the grocery with the intent to maximize the number of Black victims, and his actions resulted in the death of 86 individuals and injuries to three others. The pursuit of the death penalty, while rare under President Joe Biden’s administration, reflects the severity of the attack and the ongoing debates surrounding gun violence laws in the United States.