2022 Buffalo shooting
| 2022 Buffalo shooting | |
|---|---|
The Tops supermarket in February 2022 | |
| Location | 42°54′35″N 78°51′10″W / 42.909722°N 78.852778°W 1275 Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Date | May 14, 2022 c. 2:30 p.m. – 2:36 p.m. (EDT; UTC−04:00) |
| Target | African Americans |
Attack type | |
| Weapons |
|
| Deaths | 10 |
| Injured | 3 |
| Perpetrator | Payton Gendron |
| Defender | Aaron Salter Jr. |
| Motive |
|
| Accused | Hayden Espinosa |
| Charges | 27 counts |
| Sentence | State: 11 concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole plus 90 years to run consecutively |
| Verdict | State: Pleaded guilty |
| Convictions | 25 counts |
On May 14, 2022, a mass shooting occurred in Buffalo, New York, United States, at a Tops Friendly Markets supermarket in the East Side neighborhood. Ten people, all of whom were black, were murdered, and three people were injured. The shooter, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, livestreamed part of the attack on Twitch until the livestream was shut down by the service in under two minutes.
Gendron was inspired to do the attack after learning about numerous white supremacist mass murderers through 4chan during isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. His main inspiration was Brenton Tarrant, the perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque shootings, who also livesteamed his attack online. After reading Tarrant's manifesto, Gendron came to believe that it was his role in life to commit a similar attack to prevent an "uprising" against white people. He was taken into custody and charged with over 25 counts, including first-degree murder and terrorism. He formally entered a plea of "not guilty" on all the charges on May 19.
On November 28, 2022, Gendron pleaded guilty to all state charges in the shooting, including murder, domestic terrorism, and hate crimes in an attempt to avoid the death penalty. On February 15, 2023, Gendron was sentenced to 11 concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole; as of that date, federal charges are still ongoing, and the federal prosecution also expressed their intention to seek the death penalty. His federal trial is set to begin on August 17, 2026.
Gendron had written a manifesto describing himself as an ethno-nationalist and a supporter of white supremacy who was motivated to commit acts of political violence. He voiced support for the Great Replacement conspiracy theory in the context of a white genocide. The attack has been described as an act of domestic terrorism, and it is also being investigated as a hate crime which was motivated by racism. Governor Kathy Hochul promised policy changes in the state as a result of the attack while condemning the shooter; shortly afterwards, the state of New York banned most semi-automatic sales to people under 21 and certain types of body armor. On March 19, 2024, a New York state judge ruled Reddit and YouTube must face lawsuits in connection with the mass shooting over accusations that they played a role in the radicalization of the shooter.