Warning: This article contains discussion of racism and gun violence which some readers may find distressing.
A white supremacist mass shooter's own footage of his crimes showed the moment he spared and apologised to a white person during his rampage.
Payton Gendron would go on to murder 10 Black people in a terrorist attack at a grocery store in Buffalo on May 14 2022.
Advert
Gendron had worn a head-mounted camera during the racist attack which he had used to livestream it on the internet.
Footage began to circulate on social media in the immediate aftermath of the atrocity.
The terrorist had also published a manifesto online in which he announced his intention to carry out an attack in the US.
Advert
Prosecutors detailed how these had included reference to a racist conspiracy theory the 'great replacement theory' which talks about the so-called 'erasure' of white people.
They said: “Gendron’s motive for the mass shooting was to prevent Black people from replacing white people and eliminating the white race, and to inspire others to commit similar attacks."
One moment in the attack captured on Gendron's camera made his racist intentions clear.
Advert
During the attack one moment saw Gendron approaching a white man who had been injured.
Gendron pointed his assault rifle at the man and then said 'sorry' and spared his life when he realised he was white.
Prosecutors described how he continued 'moving on through the rest of the store in search of more Black people to shoot and kill'.
After sparing the man, Gendron went on to murder four more Black people.
Advert
Gendron had spent some time planning the attack and had deliberately sought out a neighborhood with a higher proportion of Black residents.
He was arrested in the store's parking lot after carrying out the attack.
On November 28 2022 Gendron pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree murder, hate crimes, and domestic terrorism.
Advert
He was sentenced to life in prison in New York State over the offences.
In January 2024 federal prosecutors filed a petition calling for Gendron to receive the death penalty for the mass shooting.
This was followed by a filing from defence attorneys in June 2024 which called for its dismissal on the grounds that Gendron is already serving life in state prison in New York without parole for the offences, meaning the death penalty filing is duplicative.
The filing said: "The absence of a federal interest in re-prosecuting Payton Gendron became even clearer, when he pled guilty to every count in the state indictment and was sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 90 years.
"The State of New York thereby guaranteed that he will spend the rest of his life shut away in one of its prisons and die there."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Racial Equity Support Line on 503-575-3764, available weekdays from 10am to 7pm PT. Or via the Lines for Life Equity Team at [email protected].
Kit Roberts