Buffalo grocery store gunman sentenced to life without parole
By JESSICA MOORE
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BUFFALO, New York (WCBS) — The gunman convicted of killing 10 people last year in a racist mass shooting inside a Buffalo supermarket was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday.
On May 14, 2022, 19-year-old Payton Gendron opened fire inside Tops supermarket, wearing body armor and a helmet, which he used to livestream the attack. He shot 13 people with a semi-automatic rifle. Only three survived. All of his victims were Black.
Among those killed was a church deacon, a grandmother of nine, and a man shopping for a birthday cake.
Prior to the sentencing, there was an outburst in court. Gendron struck a deal to avoid a possible death penalty for the massacre. Some of the family members left behind were overwhelmed with emotions.
“You come to our city and decide you don’t like Black people. We love our kids!” one man said as he charged Gendron.
That man was quickly ushered out by court officers.
Earlier Wednesday morning, the heartbreak was palpable as someone from each of the 10 families told a judge about their unimaginable loss and spoke directly to the shooter.
“While writing this, tears fell from my eyes thinking about the beautiful person you took,” said Wayne Jones, son of victim Celestine Chaney.
“Our grandmother had a strong and resilient spirit. She may not be present for our milestones, but you should know her legacy will outlive you. You will simply go from a name to a number. You will be herded like cattle. You will miss out on family events. You will be nameless and faceless and we feel sorry for you,” said Simone Whitfield, granddaughter of victim Ruth Whitfield.
The sentencing was not be the end of Gendron’s legal battles. He still faces federal hate crime charges.
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