Some of the federal charges could lead to the death penalty if the Department of Justice decides to pursue it, although there is currently a moratorium on federal executions. The news of the criminal charge – which contained new evidence of the suspect’s racist hatred and his commitment to plan an attack that would kill as many blacks as possible – came as Attorney General Merrick Garland traveled to Buffalo on Wednesday to visit the slaughter site. The suspect, Peyton Gentron, 18, is a confessed white gunman who wore armor and carried a semi-automatic rifle during a live stream of the attack on the Internet. In the days leading up to the attack, he also published a lengthy attack describing his belief in so-called substitution theory, a belief rooted in white supremacy that sets out a plan to “replace” whites with colored ones. In all, 13 people were shot dead in Tops on the afternoon of May 14th. three survived. In a complaint filed Wednesday, an FBI agent said the suspect’s motive was “to prevent blacks from replacing whites and to eliminate whites and to inspire others to carry out similar attacks.” Authorities said earlier that he had masterfully planned his massacre, traveling more than 200 miles from his home in Conklin, New York, after choosing the East Side neighborhood in Buffalo because of its large Black population. He is also believed to have written a series of private posts about his plans on Discord, a messaging platform he published shortly before the attack, full of racist riots and plans for his attack. Prosecutors decided to file charges in the hours following the attack, but waited until local prosecutors announced their charges and the FBI had completed its investigation, according to investigators. Investigators have previously said the accused gunman visited the Tops market before the attack to identify himself, but the federal complaint contained new details, including a March 8 visit in which he “created two sketches of the supermarket layout” and a supermarket. number of Blacks inside and outside the store, including cash registers and two black security guards. The day before the attack he returned and wandered both inside and outside the store. Finally, on the day of the attack, federal prosecutors say, he visited a few hours before the shooting began and “noticed a ‘healthy number of old and young’ blacks in the store.” The federal complaint also includes other information about the suspect’s mental state and preparations, including a handwritten note he left in his bedroom on the morning of the shooting, stating that he “had to carry out this attack” because he cared “For the future of the White race “. The federal indictments include 10 counts of hate crimes and the use of firearms to commit murder, one for each of the people killed in the attack. In addition, Trini E. Ross, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, charged the suspect with three counts of hate crimes and gun charges related to the three people who were injured but not killed in the fury. Hate crime charges include the possibility of the death penalty, which will be determined based on discussions by a committee of Justice Ministry officials. But while Ms Ross told a news conference shortly after the killing that the death penalty was “on the table”, the ministry imposed an indefinite moratorium on the use of the death penalty. Mr. Garland, since taking office last year, has not authorized any local U.S. attorney to impose the death penalty on a defendant convicted in a selectable case, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Mr Garland’s visit came two weeks after the suspect was indicted on 25 counts of murder and other state charges, including hate crime – which is believed to be the first time a 2020 law has been filed against a defendant. Mr Gendron has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is being held without bail. The Tops attack and an even more deadly massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, have already affected both New York City politics and politics, including the passage of a number of new state laws aimed at tightening gun control restrictions. , as raising the minimum age for buying a semi-automatic rifle to 21. Governor Kathy Hotsul, a Democrat, also issued two executive orders, including one to strengthen state police surveillance of cyberbullying. The mass shootings in Buffalo also prompted Chris Jacobs, a Republican representing some of the city’s suburbs, to adopt a series of gun control measures, prompting a backlash from members of his party. In response, Mr. Jacobs said he would not run for a new term in November, denouncing the continued opposition of many Republicans to any arms control. On Sunday, Senate leaders in Washington said they had reached a framework for a bipartisan agreement on a series of modest reforms, including enhanced background checks on potential under-21 arms buyers and funding for so-called red flag laws. to seize weapons from persons considered dangerous to themselves or others. Dan Higgins contributed to the report from Buffalo and Glenn Thrush contributed to a report from Washington. Benjamin Weiser contributed to the report from New York.
