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Buffalo shooting: White supremacist Payton Gendron was probed for making violent threats in school

In June 2021, Gendron had threatened violence in remarks made to fellow pupils and was being investigated by the law enforcement, as per reports

BUFFALO, NEW YORK: The gunman, who murdered 10 people and injured three more at a Buffalo supermarket on Saturday, 14 May, was a teenager who drove 312 miles from his little town in the Southern Tier to carry out the hate-filled attack. Payton S Gendron, 18, was charged with first-degree murder in front of Buffalo City Court Judge Craig Hannah. If convicted, he faces life in prison with no prospect of parole.

The shooting is being investigated as a racially motivated hate crime, according to authorities. According to police, Gendron is white, while 11 of the 13 gunshot victims are Black. Gendron pled not guilty and was placed in custody without bail. "I understand my charges," he informed the judge. A forensic examination has been sought for Gendron. According to Erie County District Attorney John J Flynn, investigators have gathered evidence that "racial animosity" was behind the attack. Sheriff John Garcia of Erie County described the assailant and his conduct as "pure evil."

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According to images obtained inside the courthouse, Gendron sat in a white paper robe and donned a white face mask at a recent court appearance. Assistant District Attorney Gary Hackbush, leader of the homicide department, represented the Erie County District Attorney's Office. Gendron, who turn19 next month, has merely a sliver of an online presence. He formerly attended SUNY Broome Community College in Broome County, near Binghamton, but he is no longer a student there. A spokesperson from the college declined to comment on Gendron's attendance.

"I have confirmed that we have a former student by that name. They are no longer enrolled," Silvia C Briga said in an email received by Buffalo News.

The Buffalo News reported, according to a federal official, that the semi-automatic pistol used in the shooting had "the N-word" and the number 14 spelled out in white paint on the barrel. According to the official, "14" alludes to a 14-word slogan common among white supremacists.“The statement is, ‘We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white people', ” the official said. The comment is credited to the deceased David Lane, an activist with The Order, a white supremacist terror group.

Gendron was submitted for a mental health examination and therapy under a part of state mental health statutes, according to the source. Gendron's residence was raided by federal and state authorities. According to a law enforcement officer, Gendron documented and live-streamed his awful brutality to a social networking site using a video camera mounted on his military helmet. His parents' vehicle, which he had driven from Conklin, 12 miles southeast of Binghamton, was discovered and confiscated by authorities, according to a police source.

History of violence

According to reports, Gendron has previously been probed by law enforcement. In June 2021, Broome County police were summoned by school authorities who said Gendron had threatened violence in remarks made to fellow pupils. “A school official reported that this very troubled young man had made statements indicating that he wanted to do a shooting, either at a graduation ceremony or sometime after,” a government official told The News. 

"Payton Gendron had sparked a state police investigation last year in Broome County that led him to be referred for a mental health evaluation and counseling, according to The Buffalo News. What next? FBI had him on their "watch list"," a Twitter user alleged. 

In the hours following the deadly shooting, a hate-filled 180-page diatribe supposedly authored by Gendron emerged on social media. The Buffalo News was unable to confirm its legitimacy right away. The author of the uncorroborated text names himself Gendron and claims to have grown up in Broome County with his parents and two siblings. He claims that he graduated from high school and was attending SUNY Broome to pursue engineering science.

According to the author, he has no military experience and has never been diagnosed with a mental condition or disease. The paper contains two "recent self photographs", supposedly of Gendron, but which are really images of Sam Hyde, a comedian whose name and face are regularly disseminated online following major shootings. The manifesto's author claimed that he carried out the attack independently. The document is packed with racial animosity, which the author claims was not influenced by the people in his life. Instead, he claims to have been radicalized online. The author claims that he had been collecting surplus military equipment and ammo and practicing firing on and off for several years, but it wasn't until this past January that he began to actively plan the mission.