The perpetrator faces a life sentence without parole

The incident happened at Tops supermarket – an area where many people of color live. The subject is an 18-year-old white male who drove himself from home to the scene after several hours to commit the crime, carrying a rifle, wearing full body armor and carrying a helmet-mounted camera.

The entire shooting was streamed live by the perpetrator on a social networking platform, the game Twitch. Of the 13 killed and injured, 11 were African-American. According to local officials, the gunman appeared to act alone. The gunman was arrested when he dropped his weapon at the request of the police.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the case as a “hate crime” and an act of “violent extremism with ethnic motives”. According to the US attorney general, US law enforcement agencies, including the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), are working with the Buffalo Police Department and other agencies on the shooting. The US government has called it a “horrific shooting” and said information about the incident will be continuously updated to President Joe Biden.

Currently, the case of the shooter is being processed by the New York state court. According to the records, the perpetrator is named Payton Gendron and the subject is being charged with the crime of first-degree murder – the highest degree and risks facing life in prison, without parole.

Prosecutor John Flynn said: “The subject is accused of first-degree murder, which is the highest murder charge in the state of New York. It carries a life sentence without parole, the highest penalty we have in the state of New York. Subject has been removed. The judge ordered a forensic examination. A felony hearing will take place in 5 days, ie May 19. And then the investigation continued.”

US President Biden called the shooting a “disgusting” act and emphasized that hatred has no safe place in the US. America must do everything in its power to end hate-fueled domestic terrorism.

Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is frustrated that social network Twitch let the killer live-stream the attack on his account. The site later said it deleted the live stream less than two minutes after it started and was working to make sure no other accounts re-posted it.