Buffalo shooting suspect indicted on 25 counts, including terrorism, murder

Payton Gendron.
Payton Gendron. Scott Olson/Getty Images

A grand jury on Wednesday charged the white 18-year-old accused of killing 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket with domestic terrorism motivated by hate and 10 counts of first-degree murder, among other charges.

The domestic terrorism charge alleges that suspected gunman 18-year-old Payton Gendron was motivated by his victims' perceived race, and carries the possibility of life without parole. The 25-count indictment also contains murder charges for each of those killed.

The arraignment is scheduled for Thursday in Erie County Court. Previously, Gendron had been charged with first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty. Federal officials are also looking into charging Gendron with hate crimes.

On May 14, a gunman carrying an AR-15 opened fire inside a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Buffalo, New York. Among those killed in the attack were the store security guard and a church deacon. Three others were injured.

You may also like

COVID vaccines can't keep up with new Omicron subvariants

Elon Musk tells Tesla employees to return to office or resign

Texas state police: Uvalde school police chief not responding to investigators