Federal Grand Jury Indicts Buffalo Mass Shooting Suspect On Hate Crime Charges

Buffalo Mayor Speaks on mass shooting

A federal grand jury is indicting the alleged supermarket shooter in Buffalo, New York. Payton Gendron will be charged with 14 hate crime violations and 13 firearms offenses connected to the mass shooting at a Tops grocery store in May.  

The 19-year-old White man opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle and killed ten Black people while three others were injured. The suspect drove over 200 miles from his home in Conklin to the predominately Black neighborhood, where he live streamed the attack on Twitch.

NBC News reported a manifesto allegedly written by Gendron was posted on Google Docs the night prior to the killings. The document allegedly lays out plans to attack Black people, and promotes conspiracy theory claims that white people are being replaced by minorities in the U.S.

READ MORE: Families of The Buffalo “Hate Crime” Mass Shooting Suing For Victims

 Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the indictment and said the Justice Department “recognizes the threat that white supremacist violence poses to the safety of the American people.”

With these charges, Gendron will have a maximum penalty of life in prison or the death penalty if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty to the May 14 shooting and has been held without bail since his arrest.

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Ahmaud Arbery’s Mother: “Thank You To Everyone Who Supported Us”

ahmaud arbery mom wanda cooper

Ahmaud Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones is thankful the Department of Justice brought federal hate crimes against the three white men who were convicted of killing her son. 

Arbery’s mother, father and lawyers came out of the courtroom with their hands raised in victory after the guilty verdicts were read.  Mrs. Cooper-Jones said the DOJ was forced to convict the killers of her son because the family and supporters put pressure on them to do so. 

She said she knew Ahmaud’s race was involved in the case from the beginning and knew the courts would side with them because of that.

“I now want to address the members of the DOJ. I’m very thankful that you guys brought these charges… but back on January 31, you guys accepted a plea deal with these three murderers” Cooper-Jones said.

She continued that she had “begged” the DOJ not to take the deal, and asserted that the verdict today would not have happened without her family’s continued activism.

Travis and Greg McMichael along with William Bryan were found guilty in the federal hate crimes trial. For the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery nearly two years ago.

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Guilty Verdict Delivered In Federal Hate Crimes Trial Against Ahmaud Arbery’s Killers

convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery

Three white men have been found guilty in the federal hate crimes trial connected to the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia.

The men were already convicted and sentenced in January of murder and malice murder from chasing and shooting Arbery two years ago while he was jogging.

READ MORE: Judge Calls for a “Minute Of Silence” to demonstrate “a fraction of the time Ahmaud Arbery was running” in fear from the men who chased him down and killed him.

Travis and Greg McMichael along with William Bryan all face a minimum sentence of life in prison for the murder of Arbery.

The father and son, Travis and Greg McMichael are not eligible for the possibility of parole. While the third accomplice and neighbor, Bryan will be eligible.

Federal prosecutors were able to prove in this case that the men used race as a factor in the murder. The federal hate crimes charges carry an additional maximum penalty of life in prison.

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