Buffalo shooting suspect said ‘sorry’ to white victim and spared his life before hunting for more Black people

Rachel Sharp
·2 min read
Payton Gendron killed ten people and injured three others in a racially-motivated attack (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The white supremacist accused of murdering 10 Black people in a mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store apologised to a white victim and spared his life before hunting for more Black victims to kill, federal prosecutors have revealed.

During the 14 May massacre at the Tops Friendly Market, accused gunman Payton Gendron turned and aimed his assault rifle at a white male store employee who had already been shot in the leg and injured during the attack, according to a criminal complaint released on Wednesday.

Instead of shooting and killing the white man, the 18-year-old gunman said “sorry” to him and left him alone.

Prosecutors said the suspect then carried on “moving on through the rest of the store in search of more Black people to shoot and kill”.

He shot and killed four more Black people after that incident, according to the criminal complaint.

Footage of the shocking moment where the gunman appeared to prove his racist motive for the attack circulated on social media in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.

Mr Gendron had livestreamed part of his attack online using a Go Pro attached to his tactical helmet.

In the footage, the gunman was seen pointing his firearm at a victim cowering on the ground between two checkouts who screams and covers his face.

The shooter shouted “sorry” and moved on throughout the store.

The horrifying new details reveal how the suspect allegedly sought out victims based on the colour of their skin during his racist attack.

In total, 13 people were shot in the massacre, 10 of them fatally.

All 10 victims killed were Black as well as an 11th surviving victim who was shot outside the store.

The surviving Black victim was the second person shot in the attack, with prosecutors saying they managed to survive by fleeing the scene after the gunman entered the store.

A second white victim – a female Tops employee who was in the pharmacy area of the store – was also struck by a bullet but survived.