Prosecutors seek death penalty for Buffalo supermarket shooter

In a court filing on Friday, federal prosecutors gave notice of their intent to seek the death penalty for 20-year-old Payton Gendron. Gendron killed 10 people and wounded three more in a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y. Gendron, dressed in body armor and a tactical helmet, live-streamed the killings from a camera he was wearing while wielding a rifle with racial slurs painted on it. He has already pleaded guilty to state-level murder and domestic terrorism charges and is serving a life sentence in prison.

Why are prosecutors seeking the death penalty? The Justice Department is pursuing hate crime and firearm-related charges against Gendron. Friday’s court filing cited the intentionality of his actions, his “substantial planning and premeditation,” and the racially motivated aspect of his assault as reasons it was pursuing the death penalty.

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