According to federal prosecutors, Buffalo shooting suspect Payton Gendron wrote a disturbing message for his family in which he stated that he was carrying out the mass shooting that murdered ten Black individuals at a Buffalo grocery store for the future of the white race.
When FBI investigators conducted a search at the address one day after the 14 May massacre, they discovered a handwritten message inside the white supremacist's bedroom in his family home in Conklin, New York.
Hate Crime Charges Filed Against Buffalo Shooting Suspect
According to a federal criminal complaint issued on Wednesday, the white 18-year-old apologized to his family for conducting this atrocity, but stated that he did it because he worried about the survival of the White race.
As stated in the lawsuit, Gendron signed the message and addressed it to members of his family. The search also turned up a receipt from the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, where the shooter went on a shooting rampage, killing ten people, As per Independent.
Although there is now a moratorium on federal executions, some of the federal charges brought against the gunman might result in the death sentence if the Justice Department decides to pursue it.
Attorney General Merrick Garland did not rule out the idea on Wednesday. Mr. Garland and other federal authorities at the press conference described the mass shooting as a horrific act aimed to impose panic and long-term trauma and said the suspect planned to kill as many Black people as possible.
Payton Gendron, the suspect, is an open white nationalist. According to officials, the suspect donned camouflage and body armor and had a semiautomatic Bushmaster weapon throughout the live-streamed shooting. Authorities claimed the suspect wrote a diatribe on Discord, a messaging app, describing his belief in replacement theory, a white supremacist philosophy that envisions a malicious conspiracy to replace white people with people of color.
An FBI agent, Christopher J. Dlugokinski, stated in an affidavit accompanying the criminal complaint filed on Wednesday that the suspect's motivation was to prevent Black people from replacing white people and eradicating the white race, as well as to motivate others to do similar crimes.
Authorities added that, in addition to the online rant released before the assault, the suspect authored a series of private postings on Discord about his plans, which he made public just before the shooting and were riddled with racist remarks, according to New York Times.
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Authorities Discover Payton Gendron's Laptop With Plot of The Attack
During an inspection of the gunman's residence, federal agents discovered a laptop with a paper providing a comprehensive blueprint of the assault he reportedly planned for years. According to the lawsuit, he "really became serious" about the assault in January.
Authorities suspect he went to the business several times, including the day before the incident and again two and a half hours afterward. According to the lawsuit, he counted the number of Black persons present both inside and outside the business.
During the rampage, Gendron pointed a Bushmaster XM-15 rifle at a White grocery employee who had already been shot in the leg. According to the lawsuit, instead of shooting him, Gendron said "sorry" to the victim "before proceeding on through the rest of the store in search of additional Black persons to shoot and kill."
As stated in lawsuit, many customers and staff took refuge in a stock room, a conference room, a freezer, and a dairy cooler, while others left through a back door. The gunman fired around 60 rounds throughout the incident.
On June 1, a grand jury in New York indicted Gendron on 25 counts, including 10 counts of first-degree murder, ten counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime, and three counts of attempted murder as a hate crime. As per court papers, Gendron is also charged with domestic terrorism and possessing a firearm. He pled not guilty to the charges.
According to police, the suspect came to the shop on the afternoon of May 14 fully armed and wearing military gear, including a tactical helmet and plated armor. He also has a camera recording his every move, CNN reported.
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