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The 19-year-old white man who killed 10 people in a racist mass shooting at a supermarket in a mostly black area of Buffalo last May cried and said he regretted his actions when he was sentenced to life in prison in an emotional trial prison Wednesday.
“I am deeply sorry for all the pain I endured for the victims and their families. I am very sorry that I stole the lives of your loved ones. I cannot express how much I regret all the decisions I made leading up to my actions on May 14,” Payton Gendron, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs, said in court.
“I did something terrible that day. I shot and killed people because they were black. Looking back on it now, I can’t believe I actually did it. I believed what I read online and acted out of hate. I know I can’t take it back, but I wish I could, and I don’t want anyone to be inspired by me and what I did.”
The statement came during the sentencing hearing of Gendron, who pleaded guilty in November to one charge of domestic terrorist act motivated by hate, 10 counts of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted murder and gun possession charges for the mass shooting. . at Tops Friendly Markets on May 14, 2022.
Relatives of a number of victims spoke emotionally on Wednesday about how the shooting had changed their lives. At one point, Gendron took off his glasses and began to cry during the testimony of the victims’ families.
At another point, a man in a gray sweatshirt rushed to Gendron in the courtroom, but was quickly blocked by security and Gendron was taken out of the courtroom.
After a short pause, Gendron returned to the courtroom and Judge Susan Eagan resumed the hearing.
“We can’t have that in court,” Eagan said. “We have to behave appropriately, because we are all better than that.”
Ultimately, the judge sentenced Gendron to life in prison for each of the terrorism and murder charges and severely reprimanded him.
“There is no place for you or your ignorant, hateful and evil ideologies in a civilized society,” she said. “There can be no mercy for you, no understanding, no second chance. The damage you have done is too great and the people you have hurt are too valuable to this community. You will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn said after court that the verdict legally closed the case, but not the broader issues.
“It certainly doesn’t wrap up what we need to do as a society and community going forward,” Flynn said. “Justice was done today with a small ‘j’, but we still have a big ‘J’ of justice to do.”
The attempted attack on Gendron came during a particularly intense victim impact statement by Barbara Mapps, the sister of Katherine Massey, a 72-year-old who died in the attack.
“I personally want to strangle you,” Mapps said in a loud voice. “You little punk a** has decided to come here to kill black people.”
Flynn said the man will not be charged with a crime, explaining that he did not want to make the tragedy worse.
Other victims’ families offered more somber memories of their loved ones and criticism of Gendron’s violent actions and hateful ideology. Many of the victims’ relatives said they want Gendron to be sentenced to life in prison instead of the death penalty, so that the gunman will have to suffer with his mind for the rest of his life.
“Someday I hope you find it in your heart to apologize to those families,” Wayne Jones, Celestine Chaney’s son, said in court.
“I pray to God they don’t kill you,” said Brian Talley, a relative of gunshot victim Geraldine Talley. “You must be known worldwide… I forgive you, but I do not forgive you for your sake, but for mine and for this black community.”
Christopher Braden, who said he was shot in the leg, said he saw dead bodies on the floor as he was led from the supermarket to the hospital.
“The visions haunt me every day,” Braden said, adding that he still suffers from night terrors and post-traumatic stress disorder from the shooting.
Zeneta Everhart, whose son Zaire Goodman was shot and injured, said her son has a survivor’s debt.
“He’s dealing with the pain I can’t bear as a mother,” Everhart said. “On that day, this terrorist made the choice that the value of a black human being meant nothing to him… whatever the punishment [Gendron] gets, it will never be enough.”
Michelle Spight, who said she lost her aunt and her cousin in the shooting, said she hopes Gendron is haunted every day and every night.
“You came to Buffalo with hatred and anger in your heart,” said Spight, also speaking on behalf of her other family members.
On the afternoon of May 14, Gendron turned the community’s food source into a crime scene.
Gendron was heavily armed and wearing tactical gear, including a tactical helmet and armor plates, police said at the time. He also livestreamed his actions with a camera.
Using an illegally modified semi-automatic rifle, the gunman shot four people outside the supermarket, three of whom died. He continued the massacre in the store, shooting an armed guard and eight others, six of whom died.
The shooting has traumatized the predominantly black neighborhood of Masten Park on Buffalo’s east side. The area was a food desert and the Tops Friendly Markets was the only grocery store in the area.
Gendron shot a total of 13 people, including 11 black people and two white people, authorities said. All the killed victims were black.
Prosecutors have argued that the horror that unfolded both inside and outside the supermarket was rooted in Gendron’s racism towards black people. Evidence included social media posts and a lengthy document written by Gendron showing that he planned the attack and visited the supermarket several times prior to the massacre.
Gendron posted that he chose the Tops Market as his target because it is located in the 14208 zip code in Buffalo, home to the highest percentage of black people living close enough to Conklin, New York, where he lived.
In the document, he credited the internet for most of his beliefs and describes himself as a fascist, a white supremacist, and an anti-Semite.
The shooter’s allegations include New York’s first use of terrorism motivated by hate since it became available under state law in 2020.
At the federal level, Gendron faces 10 counts of hate crimes resulting in death, three counts of hate crimes resulting in bodily harm, 10 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder during and in connection with a violent crime, and three counts of use and firing a firearm during a violent crime, according to an indictment.
He has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges, which carry the potential for the death penalty.
In December, Gendron’s lawyers said at a court hearing that he would be willing to plead guilty to the federal charges if prosecutors agreed to abolish the death penalty.
Correction: An earlier version of this story gave the wrong last name for Barbara Mapps.