Buffalo shooter currently awaiting trial in Livingston County Jail
On Feb. 15, 2023, Payton S. Gendron, the man who shot 13 and killed 10 people at Buffalo Top’s, was charged with a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Gendron pleaded guilty to the 15 charges against him during that trial. The trial occurred at the State Supreme Court in Erie County.
The crime occurred on May 14, 2022, when Gendron committed what is now confirmed to be a hate crime. Gendron had driven hours away from his home in Conklin, New York to the Buffalo Tops where he live-streamed the murders of the ten people he killed and the three that he had shot, all of whom were Black. Only two of the people shot during this day were white. Gendron is confirmed to be a white supremacist.
During the trial, he addressed the victims’ families, stating, “I cannot express how much I regret all the decisions I made leading up to my actions on May 14. I did a terrible thing that day. I shot and killed people because they were Black.”
Gendron continued, “Looking back now I can’t believe I actually did it. I believed what I read online and acted out of hate and now I can’t take it back but wish I could.”
Judge Susan Eagan of Erie County Court, located in Buffalo, New York, oversaw the proceedings for the day. Judge Eagan stated at the end of the trial:
“There is no place for you or your ignorant hateful and evil ideologies in a civilized society. There can be no mercy for you, no understanding, no second chances. The damage you have caused is too great and the people you have hurt are too valuable to this community. You will never see the light of day as a free man ever again.”
The charges against him are as follows: ten counts of Hate Crime Resulting in Death, three counts of Hate Crime Involving Bodily Injury and Attempt to Kill, ten counts of Use of a Firearm to Commit Murder During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence, and three counts of Use and Discharge of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. There are 26 counts against him according to the United States Department of Justice report Victim Notification–United States v. Payton Gendron.
Gendron is currently being held in the Livingston County Jail, which is medium security, as he awaits being moved ahead of his federal trial which will happen at a later date.
There are resources to help those affected by this tragedy on the New York State website titled Resources & Services for Residents Impacted by Buffalo Shooting. It consists of both financial and emotional support for those who were affected by this devastation. There was reported to be $50 million going towards the different resources, according to the New York State Government website cited above.