The white gunman who killed 10 African-Americans at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, pleaded guilty Monday to charges of murder and hate-motivated terrorism, meaning he will be behind bars and Live the rest of his life.


Payton Gendron, 19, pleaded guilty Monday in court nearly two miles from the grocery store where the shooting took place. Armed with a semi-automatic rifle and wearing body armor at the time of the incident, he carried out a racist attack through which he hoped to preserve white power in America.

Gendron appeared in court wearing an orange jumpsuit, his hands were handcuffed, and he squeezed his lips tightly and licked them from time to time. He pleaded guilty to all of the most serious charges in the grand jury indictment, including murder, murder as a hate crime, and hate-motivated domestic terrorism, a charge that carries an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole.

When Judge Susan Eagan named each of the victims and asked if Gendron killed them because of their race, he answered "yes" and "guilty," and Gendron also admitted to wounding Three people who survived the attack in May were killed.

Many family members of the victims were also in the courtroom, some weeping, and weeping. Several of them later told reporters they were chilled by the defendant's guilty plea. It doesn't address the larger problem of what they call racism in America.

Zaneta Everhart's 20-year-old son was shot in the neck but survived. "His voice made me sick, but it showed me that I was right. There was a problem in this country. There was violence in this country, it was racist. His voice showed me that," she said

. After the 45-minute proceedings, Gendron's lawyers indicated that he now deeply regrets the crime he committed, but they did not elaborate or take questions.

Brian Parker, Gendron's attorney, said: "This critical step represents a condemnation of the racist ideology that led to his horrific actions on May 14. The final resolution of the charges will go some way towards bringing the focus to the needs of the victims and the community."

Gendron has pleaded not guilty to separate federal hate crime charges, on which he could face the death penalty if convicted. The Justice Department did not say whether it would seek the death penalty. A guilty plea and claim of remorse could benefit Gendron during the sentencing phase of his death penalty trial.

Gendron's guilty plea comes at a time when many Americans have become almost desensitized to mass shootings. In recent weeks, there have been deadly shootings at a Walmart in Virginia, a gay nightclub in Colorado, and the University of Virginia, and

within days of the Gendron shooting, a gunman killed a man at a Uvalde, Texas school killing 19 children and two teachers.


Gendron wore body armor and used a legally purchased AR-15 rifle during the attack at the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo. The victims ranged in age from 32 to 86 and included an armed security guard who tried to protect patrons, a church deacon, and the mother of a former Buffalo fire department chief. Gendron surrendered after officers confronted him after he emerged from the store.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, who also attended Gendron's guilty plea, told reporters afterward, "It's important to hear why these precious lives are being taken from us simply because of the color of their skin. Taken away." The

The democratic mayor called for a ban on assault weapons. Police Chief Joseph Gramaglia also made such an appeal. The victims' relatives are again calling on Congress and the FBI to address white supremacy and gun violence. Ruth Whitfield, the 86-year-old mother of Garnell Whitfield, who was killed in the shooting, said: "We're literally begging the establishment to do something about it. "

Gendron's motivation is white supremacy. In some texts posted online before the attack, he said he had picked out a grocery store three hours from Conklin, N.Y., where he lives because it was in a predominantly African-American neighborhood. He said he was motivated by the belief that there was a huge conspiracy to try to diminish white power by "replacing" white people with people of color in the United States.

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn called Monday's result "swift justice," noting it was the first conviction in New York state on hate-motivated terrorism charges.

Benjamin Crump, an attorney representing the families of several victims, said they remained baffled that the gunman survived. They want to punish the murderer severely. "We want him to be seen as a brutal, cold-blooded murderer for killing all these innocent black people. It touches our emotions and we're angry," Crump said.

Everhart's son Zaire Zaire Goodman was shot in the neck but survived, while Mark Talley's mother, Geraldine Talley, was killed. Everhart and Tully said they were offended by Gendron's tone and tidy appearance.

Tully said: "He's a villain."


Everhart said: "We made them look less threatening, it makes me sick."

Tully said: "He faces life in prison, am I happy? If the United States I would be happy to acknowledge the history of racism."

(This article is based on a report from The Associated Press in Buffalo, New York.)