BUFFALO, N.Y. – Federal prosecutors in the city of Buffalo, New York, announced on Friday that they will seek the death penalty against a white supremacist who killed 10 Black people in a mass shooting at a local supermarket. Payton Gendron, 20, is already serving a life sentence with no chance of parole after pleading guilty to state charges of murder and hate-motivated domestic terrorism in the 2022 attack.
The decision to pursue the death penalty was disclosed in court filings. The Justice Department cited the substantial planning that went into the shooting, including the deliberate choice of location – a Tops Friendly Market in the city’s largely Black East Side neighborhood – which was meant to “maximize the number of Black victims.”
Although New York does not have capital punishment, federal prosecutors had the option of seeking the death penalty in a separate hate crimes case. The gunman had promised to plead guilty in that case if prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.
Relatives of the victims expressed mixed views on whether federal prosecutors should pursue the death penalty. Some suggested that they would have preferred the gunman to spend the rest of his life in prison rather than face the death penalty.
The shooting took place in May 2022 when the gunman attacked shoppers and workers with a semi-automatic rifle after driving over 200 miles from his home in rural Conklin, New York. Among the victims were eight customers, the store security guard, and a church deacon who drove shoppers to and from the store with their groceries. Three people were wounded but survived.
The rifle used by the gunman was marked with racial slurs and phrases, including “The Great Replacement,” a reference to a conspiracy theory that there’s a plot to diminish the influence of White people.
This decision to seek the death penalty marks the first time Attorney General Merrick Garland has authorized a new pursuit of the death penalty. Garland had instituted a moratorium on federal executions in 2021 pending a review of procedures, but the Justice Department has opted to pursue it sparingly.
In conclusion, this case highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the death penalty and the complexities of seeking justice in cases of hate-motivated violence.