Buffalo mass shooting suspect Payton Gendron pleads guilty to all state charges

Payton Gendron, the White man accused of killing 10 Black people and wounding three others in a hate-fueled shooting attack in Buffalo, New York earlier this year, has pleaded guilty Monday to all the state charges facing him.

Gendron pleaded guilty to all the charges in the grand jury indictment, including murder, murder as a hate crime, and hate-motivated domestic terrorism, which carries an automatic sentence of life without parole –- following the May attack at a Tops Market grocery store in a predominantly Black Buffalo neighborhood. Gendron also pleaded guilty to wounding three people who survived the attack.

"Today, our client pled guilty to every count of the indictment with the full knowledge that he will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole," Gendron's attorney Brian Parker said following the guilty plea. "Though the federal case continues his actions today ensure that there will be no state court trial and he will not appeal." 

"This critical step represents a condemnation of the racist ideology that fueled his horrific actions on May 14," Parker added. "Before he is sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, on February 15, the surviving victims and deceased victims family members will all have an opportunity to address the court, the community and our client directly."