On May 14, 2022, Payton Gendron killed ten Black people and injured three others in a racially motivated attack at a Tops Friendly Markets supermarket in Buffalo, New York, livestreaming part of the assault. He pleaded guilty to state charges and was sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences without parole; federal capital charges remain pending.
Tops supermarket, Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, New York - 20220220 (cropped) — Credit: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0
On May 14, 2022, 18-year-old Payton Gendron drove roughly three and a half hours from his home in Conklin, New York, to a Tops Friendly Markets supermarket on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo's East Side, a predominantly Black neighborhood. Armed with a Bushmaster XM-15 AR-15–style rifle illegally modified to accept high-capacity magazines, and wearing body armor and a helmet-mounted camera, he livestreamed part of the attack on Twitch before the service shut the stream down in under two minutes. He shot four people in the parking lot, killing three, then entered the store and shot eight more, killing six. A total of ten people were killed and three injured; ten of the thirteen people shot were Black. Among those killed was Aaron Salter Jr., a 55-year-old former Buffalo police lieutenant working as store security, who exchanged fire with Gendron but was killed. The other victims were Celestine Chaney, Roberta A. Drury, Andre Mackneil, Katherine Massey, Margus D. Morrison, Heyward Patterson, Geraldine Talley, Ruth Whitfield, and Pearl Young. Police talked Gendron into surrendering outside the store roughly six minutes after the shooting began.
Investigators, including Erie County Sheriff John Garcia and the FBI, described the attack as a racially motivated hate crime and act of domestic terrorism. Gendron had written and released online a 180-page manifesto describing white supremacist, antisemitic, and ecofascist views centered on the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, and expressed admiration for other far-right mass shooters, including Brenton Tarrant, whose Christchurch mosque attack he cited as his primary inspiration. He had previously been investigated in June 2021 by police in Broome County over a threatening statement made at his high school but was not charged, and underwent a non-involuntary mental health evaluation that did not bar him from later purchasing firearms.
Gendron was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to an initial set of charges in May 2022; a grand jury later returned a 25-count indictment including domestic terrorism motivated by hate, first- and second-degree murder as hate crimes, and attempted murder as hate crimes. On November 28, 2022, he pleaded guilty to fifteen state-level counts, including ten counts of first-degree murder, in an effort to avoid the death penalty. On February 15, 2023, he was sentenced in state court to eleven consecutive life sentences without parole plus 90 years, after being denied youthful offender status. Federal charges remain pending; in January 2024, the Department of Justice announced it would seek the death penalty, and Gendron's federal trial is scheduled to begin in August 2026.
The attack prompted national and local reactions, including remarks by President Joe Biden condemning white supremacy, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul's push for new firearms restrictions. New York subsequently passed laws banning most semi-automatic sales to people under 21 and restricting certain body armor. A March 2024 state court ruling allowed lawsuits against Reddit and YouTube to proceed over claims the platforms contributed to Gendron's radicalization. Permanent memorials at the shooting site, including a sculpture and a planned larger memorial, were dedicated in the following years.
Ruth Whitfield, Geraldine Talley, Heyward Patterson, Katherine Massey, Margus D. Morrison, Aaron Salter Jr., Celestine Chaney, Roberta A. Drury, Pearl Young, Andre Mackneil
Date
2022
Location
Tops Friendly Markets, Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, New York
Case status
solved
Case timeline
2021-06
Payton Gendron is investigated by Broome County police over a threatening statement made at his high school; he is not charged.
2022-05-14
Gendron shoots 13 people at a Tops Friendly Markets supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing ten; he livestreams part of the attack on Twitch before surrendering to police.
2022-05-19
Gendron pleads not guilty to initial charges at arraignment in Buffalo City Court.
2022-06-01
A grand jury issues a 25-count indictment against Gendron, including domestic terrorism motivated by hate and murder as a hate crime.
2022-06-02
Gendron is arraigned in Erie County Court and pleads not guilty to all 25 charges.
2022-11-28
Gendron pleads guilty to fifteen state-level counts, including ten counts of first-degree murder.
2023-02-15
Gendron is sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences without parole plus 90 years; federal charges remain pending.
2024-01-12
The Department of Justice announces it will seek the death penalty in the federal case against Gendron.
2024-03-19
A New York state judge rules that Reddit and YouTube must face lawsuits over claims they contributed to Gendron's radicalization.
2024-05-14
Tops dedicates the '5/14 Honor Space' memorial at the shooting site; the final design for a larger memorial, 'Seeing Us,' is unveiled.
2026-08-17
Gendron's federal trial is scheduled to begin.
Best coverage
Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
Creator
Healing from Hate: Tops employee seeks justice for survivors of the Buffalo mass shooting
People
Ruth Whitfield
VICTIM
86-year-old, killed in the shooting.
Geraldine Talley
VICTIM
62-year-old, killed in the shooting.
Heyward Patterson
VICTIM
67-year-old, killed in the shooting.
Payton Gendron
CONVICTED
Pleaded guilty to state charges including ten counts of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted murder as hate crimes, and domestic terrorism motivated by hate; sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences without parole. Federal capital charges remain pending.
Katherine Massey
VICTIM
72-year-old, killed in the shooting.
Margus D. Morrison
VICTIM
52-year-old, killed in the shooting.
Aaron Salter Jr.
VICTIM
55-year-old former Buffalo police lieutenant working as store security; killed after exchanging gunfire with the shooter.
Celestine Chaney
VICTIM
65-year-old, killed in the shooting.
Roberta A. Drury
VICTIM
32-year-old, killed in the shooting.
Pearl Young
VICTIM
77-year-old, killed in the shooting.
Andre Mackneil
VICTIM
53-year-old, killed in the shooting.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
Tops supermarket, Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, New York - 20220220 (cropped)
Credit: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
unclassified
Payton Gendron following his arrest after the 2022 Buffalo shooting
On May 14, 2022, Payton Gendron killed ten Black people and injured three others in a racially motivated attack at a Tops Friendly Markets supermarket in Buffalo, New York, livestreaming part of the assault. He pleaded guilty to state charges and was sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences without parole; federal capital charges remain pending.
Where did the shooting happen?
Tops Friendly Markets, Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, New York.
Who was convicted?
Payton Gendron (Pleaded guilty to state charges including ten counts of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted murder as hate crimes, and domestic terrorism motivated by hate; sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences without parole. Federal capital charges remain pending.).
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