Buffalo Mass Shooter Pleads Guilty to Murder

Facts

• On Monday, Payton Gendron pleaded guilty to all charges filed in a grand jury indictment against him. Gendron, a white man, is accused of opening fire at a grocery store in a predominately Black neighborhood, killing 10 people and injuring three others in May.
• Gendron was indicted on 25 counts, including murder, and one count of domestic terrorism motivated by hate, which carries a penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He will also face federal hate crime charges led by the US Dept. of Justice.
• Gendron allegedly drove more than 200 miles to carry out his attack, where 11 of the 13 people shot were Black. He used a semiautomatic rifle that was inscribed with racist language and a white supremacist symbol; he live-streamed the mass shooting on the social media platform Twitch.
• In a court filing by the Western District of NY, it was stated, "Gendron's motive for the mass shooting was to prevent Black people from replacing white people and eliminating the white race, and to inspire others to commit similar attacks."
• The investigation revealed that Gendron's social media posts and manifesto demonstrated he had been planning the attack for months and had visited the supermarket several times. During the shooting, Gendron pointed his gun at a white man but did not fire and said "sorry" because the man was white.
• Following the hearing, Flynn said, "Thank God the families and the victims who survived this and this community don't have to endure a long, protracted trial." He went on to say, "Nothing will ever bring back the 10 beautiful people who lost their lives on that day."

Sources: FOX News, New York Times, Axios, CNN, and Abc.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by NY Times. Congress needs to step up for the American people and enact legislation that will strengthen efforts to stop domestic terrorism. It starts by expanding gun background checks and passing common-sense gun reforms to prevent tragedies like the Buffalo shooting from happening elsewhere.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Mail. This is no time to be talking about gun control or anything political. This is a time to allow the families to heal and for the shooter to be brought to justice. Democrats should speak out against all acts of deadly violence — including the Waukesha tragedy that saw Darrell Brooks kill six people with a car. No form of gun control could stop an act of crime like that.
• Narrative C, as provided by USA Today. Irresponsible social media platforms allowed radicalizing videos to be viewed and permitted like-minded individuals to communicate. In addition, those who sold and manufactured his weapon and body armor should be punished. The circle of responsibility should be extended to all stakeholders.