Accused Buffalo, N.Y., gunman indicted on federal hate crimes charges

July 14 (UPI) -- A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a 19-year-old on 27 counts of federal hate crimes linked to a racially motivated grocery store shooting that killed 10 people in Buffalo, N.Y., in May.

Payton Gendron of Conklin, N.Y., was indicted on 10 counts of hate crimes resulting in death, three counts of hate crimes involving attempt to kill three people who were injured in the process, one count of hate crimes involving an attempt to kill other Black people and 13 counts of using a firearm in relation to hate crimes.

The federal charges make Gendron eligible for the death penalty for the May 14 mass shooting at a Tops grocery store.

Police accused Gendron of opening fire at the store, killing 10 Black people and injuring three. Authorities said the shooting was racially motivated and that Gendron had posted a manifesto online that allegedly made numerous racist and anti-immigration remarks.

"The Justice Department fully recognizes the threat that White supremacist violence poses to the safety of the American people and American democracy. We will continue to be relentless in our efforts to combat hate crimes, to support the communities terrorized by them, and to hold accountable those who perpetrate them," Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday.

An Erie County, N.Y., grand jury handed down an indictment on state charges in June, including 10 counts of first-degree murder, 10 counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime, three counts of attempted second-degree murder as a hate crime and a single count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.