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A viral social media clip shows the Buffalo, New York supermarket mass shooter apologizing to a white person before moving on to attack other customers inside the store.
Instagram user April D. Ryan posted a seven-second clip from the now-deleted Twitch livestream of 18-year-old Payton Gendron pointing a rifle at a white man inside Tops Friendly Market off Jefferson Avenue. The man screams in response to his sudden appearance, and then Gendron is allegedly heard saying "Sorry!" before moving away from the terrified person. The post has over 78,000 likes as of Monday morning (May 16).
The teenage suspect was taken into custody and accused of killing at least 10 people during the Saturday (May 14) rampage. Authorities confirmed all of the victims are Black. He allegedly livestreamed the shooting on Twitch, which was taken down within two minutes, according to the Amazon-owned company. Cops say he was wearing military-style clothing, and two rifles were recovered from the scene.
NBC News discovered Gendron's online manifesto, which was allegedly filled with white supremacist ideology, including the "great replacement" theory. This conspiracy claims that the government is replacing white Americans with non-white residents through immigration, interracial marriage, and other means. The document also claims he specifically targeted the majority-Black Buffalo neighborhood since it was the closest area to him, according to reporters.
Gendron was arraigned Saturday evening on one count of first-degree murder, according to the Erie County District Attorney John F. Flynn in a press release. The 18-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charge and could face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, prosecutors explained.
"My office is working closely with the U.S. Attorney's Office and our partners in law enforcement into potential terrorism and hate crimes," Flynn wrote in a statement. "This is an active investigation and additional charges may be filed."
The DA says Gendron is due back in court on May 19 for a felony hearing.
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