Buffalo shooter charged with federal hate crimes

The federal government charged Payton Gendron, who allegedly killed 10 black people in a Buffalo supermarket in May, with 26 counts of federal hate crimes. Gendron could face the death penalty, in addition to state charges already requiring life imprisonment, if convicted. He pleaded not guilty to the state charges and has not yet entered a plea for the federal counts.

What do the federal charges mean? Federal prosecutors can only file hate crimes charges when race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religious affiliation are the actual or perceived motivations for an assault. FBI agents found an apology note after the shooting that Gendron signed and addressed to his family, saying he had to commit the attack “for the future of the White race.” Those comments, and more, provide the basis for such charges, and the fact that the attack included multiple murders means the death penalty is an option.

Dig Deeper: Read Mark Hemingway’s column in WORLD Opinions on how we need more than political solutions to gun violence.