The Department of Justice has declared its intention to push for the death penalty of the individual responsible for the racist mass murder at a Buffalo Tops supermarket, should he be convicted of federal charges. This tragedy resulted in the deaths of 10 African American individuals.
Prosecutors discussed Attorney General Merrick Garland's stance with family members of the victims in a confidential gathering at the Buffalo federal courthouse on Friday.
Gendron, in documents preceding the May 14, 2022 attack, acknowledged that he selected the Tops Market on Jefferson Avenue as the target due to its location in an area predominantly inhabited by Black citizens. His objective was to kill as many Black individuals as he could.
To execute his act of terror, he traveled over 200 miles from his family home in Conklin, NY armed with a semi-automatic firearm and a helmet-attached camera that he used to broadcast the brutal act. Apart from the ten deaths, Gendron injured three more people inside the supermarket.
Prosecutors highlighted a number of exacerbating elements in their intent to push for the death penalty, among them was Gendron's racist motives for the murders, underlining his explicit bias and detestation towards Black people.
Other noted factors included: the execution and attempted execution of multiple people; targeting victims especially vulnerable due to age and weakness; comprehensive planning and forethought; posing significant death threats to others; provoking violent responses from others through his violent actions; and strategically choosing the Tops supermarket in the East Side to amplify the count of Black casualties.