Payton Gendron, 18, of Conklin, New York, was charged with hate crimes resulting in death or bodily injury and attempted murder, as well as use and discharge of a weapon during and in relation to an act of violence.
The announcement was made by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross for the Western District of New York, and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate.
According to the complaint, Gendron, a white man, shot and killed Black victims on May 14 at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York. Gendron’s live-streamed mass shooting murdered ten African-Americans and injured one African-American and two Caucasians.
According to the charges, Gendron’s motivation was to stop Black people from replacing white people and extinction of the white race, as well as to encourage others to commit similar crimes.
During the assault, Gendron carried a tactical helmet, camouflage clothing, body armor, a GoPro video camera, a loaded Bushmaster XM-15.223 caliber pistol, and numerous magazines.
In the parking lot of the Tops, Gendron killed three Black people and injured a fourth. Before entering the business and killing two more Black people, Gendron shot through the window.
A gunfight erupted between Gendron and a Black security guard. The security guard was shot by Gendron.
Gendron aimed his rifle towards an injured white guy Tops employee after killing the security guard.
Instead, Gendron fired a shot at the employee and apologized.
A white female Tops employee was injured in the pharmacy area near the checkout lanes during the attack. Gendron killed three more Black people in the store’s aisles after shooting one in a checkout lane.
When Gendron returned to the store’s front, cops apprehended him.
When Gendron was detained, officers found his gun. Racist remarks, such as “Here’s your reparations!” and “The Great Replacement,” were emblazoned on the weapon.
According to authorities, Gendron fired 60 shots throughout the incident. A loaded 12-gauge shotgun, a loaded bolt-action rifle, and three rifle magazines were in Gendron’s automobile.
Gendron wrote a self-described manifesto in the months leading up to the attack that included a detailed plan to shoot and kill Black people at Tops with a Bushmaster XM-15 rifle, a diagram of the store’s interior layout, a discussion of the clothing and equipment he would use during the attack, and statements that his motivation for the attack was to prevent Black people from replacing white people and eliminating the white race.
According to Gendron, he chose 14208 because it has the highest percentage of Black people in the area near his home, and he chose Tops because it has a large number of Black people.
Gendron scouted Tops several times before the attack, including two and a half hours before the attack on May 14, 2022.
If convicted, the complaint charges carry a life sentence or the death penalty. Gendron is facing state criminal charges.
An investigation by the FBI in Buffalo and Albany, the Buffalo ATF, the Buffalo Police Department, the NYSP, and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office resulted in the criminal complaint.
The case is being prosecuted by Joseph M. Tripi, Brendan T. Cullinane, and Brett A. Harvey of the Western District of New York, as well as Shan Patel of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Until proven guilty, a defendant is presumed innocent.