Payton Gendron, the 18-year-old who shot 13 people with a rifle at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 of those victims, was arrested for threatening and subjected to a mental evaluation last year but was later arrested. released after just a day and a half in custody.
According to Reuters, information released by Buffalo Police indicates that state police officers attended a case at a school in Gendron’s hometown of Conklin, also in New York, on June 8, 2021. The then 17-year-old student reportedly made “statements threatening”.
The Wall Street Journal added that Gendron wrote that he planned to carry out a mass shooting. He was detained and subjected to a mental health assessment at a hospital. He was later released without being criminally charged.
US officials consider the Buffalo bombing a “racially motivated hate crime.” The gunman broadcast the attack live over the internet and reportedly posted a manifesto online. He would have chosen the supermarket because it was located in a predominantly black neighborhood in Buffalo. Of the 13 shot by Gendron, 11 are black and two are white.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul told ABC News that an investigation is being carried out to find out what could have been done to stop Gendron, as he had expressed racist views on the internet and was on the authorities’ radar.
Gendron, who surrendered after Saturday’s attack in Buffalo and is currently in prison, has been indicted for first-degree murder and faces life in prison without parole.
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