Current:Home > NewsUpdate expected in case of Buffalo supermarket gunman as families await decision on death penalty -MarketStream
Update expected in case of Buffalo supermarket gunman as families await decision on death penalty
View
Date:2025-04-15 15:32:08
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Relatives of victims of a racist mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket have been called to federal court Friday for a “substantial update” in the legal case against the gunman, their attorney said.
The meeting between Department of Justice representatives and victims of Payton Gendron will take place ahead of a previously scheduled afternoon status conference, attorney Terrence Connors said.
Connors represents relatives of some of the 10 Black people killed and three other people wounded in the May 14, 2022, attack.
The families have been waiting to hear whether prosecutors would seek the death penalty against Gendron, 20, who is charged in a federal indictment with hate crimes and weapons charges.
Gendron already is serving multiple life sentences with no chance of parole after pleading guilty to state charges of murder and domestic terrorism motivated by hate. New York does not have capital punishment but executions are possible in federal cases.
Gendron’s lawyers have said he would plead guilty in the federal case if prosecutors agree not to seek the death penalty. The Justice Department’s capital case committee issued its recommendation in the fall of 2023, but the recommendation was not made public, according to attorneys in the case.
Attorneys for Gendron and his parents did not respond to emailed requests for comment, nor did the U.S. Attorney’s office in Buffalo.
Those killed at the Tops Friendly Market on Buffalo’s largely Black East Side ranged in age from 32 to 86. They included a church deacon, the grocery store’s guard, a man shopping for a birthday cake, a grandmother of nine and the mother of a former Buffalo fire commissioner.
The gunman wore bullet-resistant armor and a helmet equipped with a livestreaming camera as he carried out the attack with a semiautomatic rifle. The weapon was purchased legally but had been modified so Gendron could load it with illegal high-capacity ammunition magazines, authorities said.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- The Daily Money: Disney+ wants your dollars
- Denmark widens terror investigation that coincides with arrests of alleged Hamas members in Germany
- A buffet of 2023 cookbooks for the food lovers on your list
- $600M in federal funding to go toward replacing I-5 bridge connecting Oregon and Washington
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Minnesota edges close to picking new state flag to replace design offensive to Native Americans
- Q&A: The Sort of ‘Breakthrough’ Moment Came in Dubai When the Nations of the World Agreed to Transition Away From Fossil Fuels
- Retriever raising pack of African painted dog pups at Indiana zoo after parents ignored them
- Tropical weather brings record rainfall. Experts share how to stay safe in floods.
- Tiger Woods and son get another crack at PNC Championship. Woods jokingly calls it the 5th major
Ranking
- Euphoria's Hunter Schafer Says Ex Dominic Fike Cheated on Her Before Breakup
- Is the US Falling Behind in the Race to Electric Vehicles?
- Dodgers acquiring standout starter Tyler Glasnow from Rays — pending a contract extension
- US government injects confusion into Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- The EU struggles to unify around a Gaza cease-fire call but work on peace moves continues
- Jake Paul oozes confidence. But Andre August has faced scarier challenges than Paul.
- Give the Gift of Cozy for Christmas With These 60% Off Barefoot Dreams Deals
Recommendation
Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
We asked, you answered: How have 'alloparents' come to your rescue?
RFK Jr. faces steep hurdles and high costs to get on ballot in all 50 states
UK police say they’re ‘overjoyed’ that British teen missing for 6 years has been found in France
British swimmer Adam Peaty: There are worms in the food at Paris Olympic Village
Hungary’s Orbán says he won’t hesitate to slam the brakes on Ukraine’s EU membership
Derek Hough Shares Video Update on Wife Hayley Erbert After Life-Threatening Skull Surgery
Met museum is returning looted ancient art to Cambodia and Thailand