Buffalo grocery store gunman sentenced to life without parole; Due back in court Thursday
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The gunman convicted of killing 10 people last year in a racist mass shooting inside a Buffalo supermarket was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday.
He will be back in a federal courtroom Thursday, where he is facing 27 felonies, including hate crime charges and the possibility that he could face the death penalty.
On May 14, 2022, 19-year-old Payton Gendron opened fire inside Tops supermarket, wearing body armor and a helmet, which he used to livestream the attack. He shot 13 people with a semi-automatic rifle. Only three survived. All of his victims were Black.
"After selecting our city as the target of his terror attack, this defendant shot innocent African American citizens as they were shopping for groceries on a Saturday afternoon. Violence, especially violence motivated by hate, will not be tolerated. We sought to obtain justice for the victims and our community by prosecuting this defendant to the fullest extent of the law. Today, I am pleased to announced that Payton Gendron will be spending the rest of his life behind bars. While we may never fully heal from this horrific crime, I continue to pray for all who have been impacted by this tragedy," said Erie County District Attorney John Flynn.
Judge Susan Eagan delivered the sentence, telling Gendron, "There is no place for you or your ignorant, hateful and evil ideologies. There can be no mercy for you ... You will never see the light of day as a free man ever again."
Watch Dick Brennan's report
In court Wednesday, Gendron finally had to face and listen to family members and saw their heartbreak and rage explode in front of him.
Among those killed was a church deacon, a grandmother of nine and a man shopping for a birthday cake.
"He went to that store to get a cake for my little brother because May 14 is his birthday and he turned 3 years old and he didn't get to celebrate his birthday with his dad because he never came back," Deja Brown said of victim Andre Mackniel.
Prior to the sentencing, there was an outburst in court. Gendron struck a deal to avoid a possible death penalty for the massacre. Some of the family members left behind were overwhelmed with emotions.
"You come to our city and decide you don't like Black people. We wanted our kids to go to good schools. We loved our kids," one person yelled before a man charged at Gendron.
That man was quickly ushered out by court officers.
Watch Jessica Moore's report
Earlier Wednesday morning, the heartbreak was palpable as someone from each of the 10 families told a judge about their unimaginable loss and spoke directly to the shooter.
"While writing this, tears fell from my eyes thinking about the beautiful person you took," said Wayne Jones, son of victim Celestine Chaney.
"Our grandmother had a strong and resilient spirit. She may not be present for our milestones, but you should know her legacy will outlive you. You will simply go from a name to a number. You will be herded like cattle. You will miss out on family events. You will be nameless and faceless and we feel sorry for you," said Simone Whitfield, granddaughter of victim Ruth Whitfield. "You are a cowardly racist ... You thought you broke us, but you awoke us. We know the pure hatred behind your heinous crime. We are here to tell you that you failed. We will continue to be everything you hate and everything you intended to destroy."
"What can you possibly say after putting on a video of killing people? It was like a video game to you. What can you possibly say?" said Brian Tally, victim Geraldine Tally's brother-in-law.
"Do I want you to die? No. I want you to stay alive. I want you to think about this every day of your life," said Tamika Harper, Tally's niece.
"How do I look at her Christmas stocking hanging every year? Today, when I think of Robby, I don't think of her like this. I have this picture to remind me she was a beautiful girl. I think of her alone, laying on the pavement for hours," Dezzelynn McDuffie said of her daughter, Roberta Drury.
"You didn't shoot her once, but you turned around and shot her two times, so much so that her... her viewing could not even be made by her family," said Michelle Spite, the niece of victim Pearl Young.
During the hearing, Gendron apologized for his crimes.
"I did a terrible thing that day. I shot and killed people because they were Black," he said.
But family members were unmoved.
"It was written for him. It didn't seem sincere. It was too short," said Deja Brown, the daughter of one of the victims.
Even after the sentencing was over, some family members felt no closure.
"I want to choke him until my fingerprints left a mark around his neck. That's what I wanted, from the bottom of my heart," said Barbara Massey, the sister of one of the victims. "I want the death penalty. I know ... a lot of my family now want him to be in jail for 200 or 300 years. I think that's a waste of money."