Buffalo Mass Shooter Pleads Guilty to Murder, Hate Crime Charges
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Payton Gendron, the 19-year-old who killed 13 people in a racially-motivated shooting in May, pleaded guilty Monday to all charges against him, including murder, murder as a hate crime, and hate-motivated domestic terrorism.
For Context: Gendron drove over 200 miles from his home to a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, to carry out the shooting because it was the closest city to him with the most black residents, according to a manifesto he posted days before the shooting. In Monday's proceeding, the judge named each of the 11 black victims and asked Gendron whether he killed them because of their race. Gendron answered "yes." Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 15, and the judge will be required to sentence Gendron to life without parole since he pleaded guilty to the terrorism charge.
Key Quotes: The Erie County District Attorney said after the hearing that "This racist murderer did not accomplish what he set out to do. Because today, this community is stronger and better than it ever was." A lawyer for Gendron said his guilty pleas represent "a condemnation of the racist ideology that fuelled his horrific actions."
How the Media Covered It: Left-rated sources focused more on the hate crime and racism aspects. Some right-rated sources, such as Fox News and Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias), tended to describe the charges against "the suspect," while left- and center-rated outlets tended to describe him as "the shooter" or "the gunman."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Buffalo shooting gunman pleads guilty to murder and hate crime chargesA white gunman who targeted a grocery in Buffalo, New York, because it was the city with the most Black residents in closest proximity to his home, will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to murder and hate crime charges in the May 14 shooting at Tops Friendly Market.
Thirteen people, including 11 Black people and two white people, were shot in the massacre, which the suspect had streamed on the social media platform Twitch.
Payton Gendron, 19, on Monday, pleaded guilty to 25 state counts of...
From the Center
Buffalo shooting: Gunman pleads guilty to murder and terrorism chargesA white gunman who shot and killed 10 people in a racially motivated attack in Buffalo, New York has pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism charges.
The plea means he will be sentenced to life in prison without parole. New York does not have the death penalty.
The 19-year-old killer initially pleaded not guilty to the state charges in June.
"I understand this is a momentous and tremendously emotional event," Judge Susan Eagan said in court on Monday.
The judge named each victim and asked the gunman if he had...
From the Right
Buffalo mass shooting suspect Payton Gendron pleads guilty to all state chargesPayton 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...
AllSides Picks
March 28th, 2024
March 28th, 2024
March 28th, 2024
Discuss & Debate violence in america
Situation Rooms and their Efficacy in Elections
April 24 at 10am PT / 1pm ET Mediators Beyond Borders International