The white supremacist who pleaded guilty to killing 10 Black people in a racist mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Wednesday after an emotional sentencing hearing was briefly disrupted when someone rushed at him.
Family members of several victims spoke about their loved ones during Payton Gendron’s sentencing hearing in Erie County Court, where he pleaded guilty in November to more than a dozen charges, including murder and domestic terrorism motivated by hate. The terrorism charge carried an automatic life sentence.
“There can be no mercy for you, no understanding, no second chances,” Judge Susan Eagan said before sentencing Gendron. “You will never see the light of day as a free man ever again.”
Eagan spoke about the legacy and impact of white supremacy in the United States and the life of each of the victims as she imposed 11 life sentences, which will run concurrently. Gendron was also sentenced to 25 years on each of three counts of attempted murder, to be served consecutively, and a 15-year sentence for a weapons charge.
Victims’ families, survivors speak out
Family members of those killed in the attack shared memories of their loved ones, condemned the racism that motivated the shooting and urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence on Gendron.
Christopher Braden said he suffered from PTSD after the being shot in the leg and described the slow, painful recovery process.
“Visions haunt me in my sleep every night,” he said. “My scars and pain remind me of how strong I’ve become.”
Some angrily condemned Gendron. Others, like Kimberly Salter, the widow of security guard Aaron Salter, quoted from the Bible or said they were praying for him.
Gendron apologizes
Gendron spoke briefly before being sentenced and apologized to the victims and their families. He said he does not want others to be inspired by his crimes.
“I cannot express how much I regret all the decisions I made leading up to may actions on May 14,” Gendron said. “I did a terrible thing that day. I shot and killed people because they were Black.”
Sentencing briefly interrupted
Gendron was briefly taken from the courtroom after a person lunged at him while Barbara Massey Mapps excoriated him for killing her 72-year-old sister, Katherine Massey. The person was restrained by officers.
“I am sure that you are all disturbed by the physicality that we’ve seen in the courtroom here today,” Eagan said when court resumed. “I understand that emotion and I understand the anger, but we cannot have that in the courtroom.”
What happened at Tops Friendly Market?
Gendron shot 13 people with a semiautomatic rifle at Tops Friendly Market on May 14. Three people survived the attack, which Gendron livestreamed.
In documents posted online, Gendron said he hoped the attack would help preserve white power in the U.S. He wrote that he picked the Tops grocery store, about a three-hour drive from his home in Conklin, New York, because it was in a predominantly Black neighborhood.
Who are the victims of the Buffalo mass shooting?
The victims ranged in age from 32 to 86 and included a church deacon, the grocery store’s guard, a neighborhood activist, a man shopping for a birthday cake, a grandmother of nine and the mother of a former Buffalo fire commissioner. The victims include:
- Aaron Salter Jr., 55.
- Ruth Whitfield, 86.
- Pearl Young, 77.
- Katherine Massey, 72.
- Roberta Drury, 32.
- Heyward Patterson, 67.
- Celestine Chaney, 65.
- Andre Mackniel, 53.
- Geraldine Talley, 62.
- Margus Morrison, 52.
Shooter faces federal charges
Gendron, 19, also faces separate federal hate crime charges. His guilty plea on the state charges could potentially help avoid a death sentence in the penalty phase of any federal trial. In a December hearing, defense attorney Sonya Zoghlin said Gendron is prepared to enter a guilty plea in federal court in exchange for a life sentence.
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Contributing: The Associated Press
Contact Breaking News Reporter N’dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg
