The White teen who opened fire at a Buffalo grocery store andkilled 10 Black peoplein a racist massacre in 2022 was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“There can be no mercy for you, no understanding, no second chances,” Judge Susan Eagan said prior to sentencing,USA Todayreports. “You will never see the light of day as a free man ever again.”
The attack took place on May 14, 2022, at the Tops Friendly Markets supermarket on Buffalo’s East Side, where the shooter, an avowed White supremacist, traveled specifically to target Black people. The shooter planned the massacre over several months. He wore tactical gear and a helmet, and live-streamed the shooting via Twitch.
Some of the victims' family members spoke out during the hearing, including Barbara Massey, whose 72-year-old sister, Katherine Massey, was killed in the attack.
John Normile/Getty
“You come to our city and decide you do not like Black people? Man, you don’t know a damn thing about Black people,” she said, according toThe Washington Post. “We’re human. We like our kids to go to a good school. We love our kids. We never go to no neighborhood and take people out.”
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Katherine Massey, Aaron Salter, Jr., Pearl Young.courtesy
“One day I hope you find it in your heart to apologize to those families,” victim Celestine Chaney’s son told the shooter, according to CNN.
The fatal victims of the attack were Roberta A. Drury, 32; Margus D. Morrison, 52; Andre Mackneil, 53;Aaron Salter Jr., 55;Geraldine Talley, 62; Celestine Chaney, 65; Heyward Patterson, 67; Massey; Pearl Young, 77; and Ruth Whitfield, 86.
During the hearing, the shooter said in a statement that he regretted his actions.
The shooter pleaded guilty in November to numerous state charges including multiple counts of first-degree murder.
He is still facing federal hate crime and weapons changes, CBS News reported.
source: people.com
