Payton Gendron

Mass Murderer

Payton Gendron and the 2022 Buffalo Supermarket Massacre

Overview

On May 14, 2022, Payton Spencer Gendron carried out a deliberately planned, racially motivated mass shooting at the Tops Friendly Markets grocery store at 1275 Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, New York. Gendron, an 18-year-old white supremacist from Conklin, New York, selected the store because it served a predominantly Black neighborhood on Buffalo's East Side. He murdered ten Black people and wounded three other individuals before surrendering to police. The attack was not an impulsive act. Investigators determined that Gendron had spent months studying previous mass shootings, consuming racist extremist material, acquiring equipment and identifying a location where he believed he could kill a large number of Black people. He traveled more than 200 miles from his home in Broome County to Buffalo and had previously visited the neighborhood while preparing for the massacre.

Planning and Racist Motivation

Gendron documented much of his planning in writings posted online shortly before the attack. His material expressed anti-Black hatred, white-supremacist beliefs and support for the false conspiracy theory commonly called the "great replacement." That theory claims that white populations are intentionally being replaced by immigrants and racial minorities. Gendron attempted to use mass murder to promote those beliefs and encourage additional racist violence. He researched communities in New York and considered demographic information while selecting a target. The Jefferson Avenue Tops store was chosen because it was located in a heavily Black neighborhood and was a central source of food and services for local residents. Investigators said Gendron conducted reconnaissance around the store before the shooting and developed plans concerning its entrances, interior layout and security presence. Gendron armed himself with a Bushmaster XM-15 semiautomatic rifle and wore tactical equipment, including body armor and a helmet-mounted camera. Racist language and references were written on the rifle. Additional firearms were found in his vehicle but were not used during the supermarket attack.

The Attack at Tops Friendly Markets

At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, 2022, Gendron arrived at the Tops supermarket while customers and employees were inside. He left his vehicle wearing tactical equipment and immediately began firing at people near the front of the store and in the parking area. He then entered the building and continued shooting shoppers and employees. Gendron transmitted part of the attack through an online livestream. The broadcast was removed within minutes, but copies were later circulated on other websites. The recording showed that the victims were attacked with little or no warning while performing ordinary activities such as shopping, working or helping other neighborhood residents obtain groceries. Aaron Salter Jr., a retired Buffalo Police Department lieutenant who was working as the store's security guard, confronted Gendron and fired at him. Salter struck the attacker, but Gendron's protective equipment prevented the shot from stopping him. Gendron returned fire and murdered Salter. Salter's attempt to intervene was credited with demonstrating extraordinary courage during the attack. Thirteen people were shot. Eleven of those victims were Black and two were white. All ten people who died were Black. The racial composition of the victims, the location selected and Gendron's own writings established that the massacre was an intentional act of racist terrorism rather than a random attack. ...

Confirmed Victims: (10)

Roberta A. Drury 32 yr old Female

Supermarket gunman who targeted Black people wants charges ...