The US federal government is seeking the death penalty for Payton Gendron, a white gunman convicted of a racially-motivated shooting in Buffalo, New York, in 2022 that claimed the lives of 10 people.
Last year, Gendron, 20, was sentenced to life in prison for the attack, where he explicitly stated he killed people “because they were black.”
The Biden administration’s Department of Justice, despite President Biden’s general opposition to capital punishment, argues that the death penalty is warranted due to the intentional targeting of victims based on their race.
All 10 victims were black, and the shooting was described as planned and fueled by Gendron’s “bias, hatred, and contempt toward Black persons.”
Merrick Garland, the US attorney general, had instituted a moratorium on federal executions pending a review of procedures in 2021, and this court filing suggests that the review has concluded.
New York state does not have capital punishment, but Gendron faces hate crime and gun charges in a separate federal case, allowing the Justice Department to seek the death penalty.
Kathy Hochul, New York’s governor, supports the decision, stating it complies with DOJ requirements for a death penalty offense.
Lawyers for the victims and their families welcome the DOJ’s decision, seeing it as a step toward justice and closure.
Gendron, who pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism charges, described himself as a fascist and white supremacist.
The sentencing judge previously emphasized that there is no place for such ideologies in civilized society, ensuring Gendron will never be a free man again.
Source-BBC
