The white nationalist who murdered 10 Black people in a racially motivated attack at Tops Supermarket in Buffalo N.Y. last month pleaded not guilty to the 25-count indictment against him on Thursday.
Peyton Gendron, 18, appeared in court for the hearing in front of Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan, who ordered that he be held without bond. He will appear in court again on July 7.
The first count – domestic terrorism motivated by hate – accuses Gendron of carrying out the attack “because of the perceived race and/or color of such person or persons” injured and killed, Reuters reports. The charge carries a penalty of life imprisonment without parole.
Gendron was also charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 10 counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime. He also faces three counts of attempted murder as hate crimes for the attempted murder of Zaire Goodman, the only Black person who was shot during the attack but did not die. Two of the charges of attempted murder as hate crime involve victims who are White, but Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said he can use this charge because of Gendron’s alleged intent.
He also faces a single count of illegal possession of a weapon.
Gendron drove over three hours to carry out the shooting at the Tops supermarket in the predominantly Black neighborhood on the Saturday afternoon of May 14. He shot 13 people, 11 of whom are Black. He live streamed the attack on Twitch.
He allegedly shot four people in the parking lot before entering the store where he killed ex-cop, Aaron Salter who was working as a security guard. Gendron then shot eight more people inside the store before surrendering to police.
