Buffalo suspect was self-described supporter of mass shooters

President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will go to the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo on Tuesday to pay their respects to the victims of a mass shooting and speak with investigators. Ten people were killed and three more were wounded in Saturday’s racially motivated attack. The victims, 11 of whom were black, ranged in age from 20 to 86.

What was the motive? Suspected shooter Payton Gendron, 18, allegedly wrote a 180-page manifesto espousing racist hatred, according to authorities. They said Gendron described himself as a supporter of convicted mass shooters Dylann Roof and Brenton Tarrant, who targeted a majority-black church in South Carolina and mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, respectively. Police also said the suspect planned to repeat the crime at another store. Authorities said Gendron wrote in the manifesto about being bored during COVID-19 lockdowns and began browsing 4chan, an anonymous messaging board. He said that's where he found a copy of Tarrant’s live-streamed New Zealand mosque shootings in 2019. Gendron pleaded not guilty to murder and was being held on suicide watch. 

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Sophia Lee’s report on extremists leaving racist organizations and ideologies.