A white supremacist mass murderer, whose sentencing hearing was disrupted by an audience member rushing towards him, has been jailed for life without parole.
Payton Gendron, 19, admitted killing 10 black people in a racially motivated attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in May 2022, as well as domestic terrorism charges.
Gendron was briefly removed from court earlier in the hearing, after a victim’s family member charged towards him and had to be restrained.
He lunged at Gendron, who was sitting at a table with his lawyers, as Barbara Massey, whose sister was one of those killed in the racist attack, delivered a victim impact statement.
Payton Gendron in court. Pic: AP
As Ms Massey screamed at Gendron, the man stood up and went behind her, then pushed her aside and took several running steps toward Gendron before police and lawyers caught him.
Officers grabbed Gendron and rushed him out of the courtroom as the man who ran at him was surrounded by police and led out.
Prosecutors later said the man would not be charged.
It came after a day of emotional testimony in the court, with several of the relatives of those killed giving impact statements.
Gendron followed up with an apology to those impacted by his actions, telling the court: “I am very sorry for all of the pain I forced all of the victims and their families to suffer through.
“I cannot express how much I regret all the decisions I made leading up to my actions on May 14. I did a terrible thing that day. I shot and killed people because they were black.”
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A woman’s scream could be heard at the conclusion of his statement.
The attack last May was live-streamed on Twitch, a social media platform, after Gendron posted a racist manifesto online, which outlined his inspirations from other racially motivated attacks.
The court said he targeted a supermarket in a black neighbourhood of Buffalo, which was 200 miles away from his home, with the intention to kill as many black people as possible with an assault weapon.
The victims were aged between 20 and 86, and included staff and customers.
He still faces 27 federal charges, of which lawyers are seeking a plea deal to avoid a possible death sentence.
Gendron’s sentencing comes days after the latest high-profile mass shooting in the US in Michigan, which saw three people killed and five others injured.