A man who shot and killed 10 people in a Buffalo supermarket in May last year has been sentenced to life in prison. It was a racist attack: the victims that Payton Gendron made were all black Americans.
Emotions surrounding the ruling were running high. A relative of one of the victims ran towards the now 19-year-old Gendron in court to attack him, but was stopped.
Family members were given the opportunity to tell their story in court. Some yelled at the shooter, others cried or quoted from the Bible. Gendron, who was driven by racist conspiracy theories, cried at times and expressed regret in a short statement. He acknowledged that he had killed people because they were black.
The victims were between the ages of 32 and 86. In addition to the ten fatalities, three others were injured. Gendron had already made a confession in November. In handing down the verdict, the judge said he doesn’t deserve a second chance.
A federal case against Gendron is also pending. He could end up with the death penalty. In the state of New York, where the sentence was handed down, the death penalty no longer exists.
- Supermarket shooter confesses to ten racist murders
