A self-proclaimed white supremacist was sentenced to life in prison by a US court for killing ten Black people in a live-streamed shooting rampage.
Payton Gendron, 19, pleaded guilty to a state charge of domestic terrorism motivated by hatred in connection with the May massacre in Buffalo, which carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of probation.
According to Erie County District Attorney John Flynn, Gendron pled guilty to all charges against him, including ten counts of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted murder, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to courtroom reporters, Gendron used the word “guilty” 15 times throughout the case hearing.
“While justice has been served, nothing will ever bring back the ten wonderful souls who died that day,” Flynn told reporters.
“Hopefully, the legal finality will give some amount of solace to the families and victims,” he added.
Gendron had been planning the attack for months, with Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo being the target because of the significant American population in the nearby area.
Prosecutors said that on May 14,2022, the then-18-year-old traveled from his hometown of Conklin, more than 200 miles (322 kilometers), with the objective of killing as many Black people as possible.
At one point, Gendron apologized to a white guy he had wounded and chose not to murder, “further proving it was a racially motivated attack,” according to Flynn.
Within hours after the incident, police arrested Gendron, and investigators discovered a 180-page document on his computer detailing his racial reasons for the killing.
