Buffalo mass murderer Payton Gendron wrote Waukesha victims' names on rifle

Source: John Normile / Getty

Buffalo is still reeling from the racist violence that unfurled at Tops grocery store this weekend when 18-year-old Payton Gendron carried out what should only be described as a hate crime. 10 people have lost their lives at the hands of a white man and once again America is in the throes of the age-old gun control debate. As each day passes, we got more evil and infuriating details about the shooter and his ethos.

Source: USMAN KHAN / Getty

According to TheDailyBeast, Gendron wrote the names of several people on the handguard of his rifle including the name Virginia Sorenson who was part of the “Dancing Grannies” troupe and died during the Waukesha Christmas parade massacre. The NYPost reports that the message, “Here’s your reparations” was also scrawled on the murder weapon alongside the N-word. It doesn’t really make much sense considering that Waukesha parade victim Sorenson was killed by Darrell Edward Brooks, a Black man who endorsed killing white folks. But we’re not gonna waste brain cells trying to decipher hate.

President Biden To Travel To Buffalo Tuesday

Source: USMAN KHAN / Getty

A CNN report from the White House noted that President Biden plans to visit Buffalo Tuesday to “grieve with the community”, whatever that means. We don’t know if Biden will be taking media questions or speaking directly to community members but he will undoubtedly be asked what he plans to do about the rash of mass shootings that have taken place for years but especially over the last month or so. We’re also not sure that he will have a substantive answer that will address the issue in a practical way.

We’ll be watching.

Ben Crump Representing The Family Of One Of The Victims

Civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and co-counsel Terry Connors of Connors LLP and Ken Abbarno of DiCello Levitt have confirmed that they’ve been retained by the family of Ruth Elizabeth Whitfield, one of thirteen victims of the deadly, racially-motivated mass shooting that occurred Saturday at a Buffalo grocery store located in a predominately Black community.

Attorney Crump has issued the following statement:

“Yesterday, we witnessed the deadliest mass shooting of 2022, perpetrated by a self-proclaimed white supremacist who set out to do one thing: kill Black people. One of the 13 victims and one of ten who tragically lost their lives was Ruth Elizabeth Whitfield, an 86-year-old Black woman. Ruth, a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother was the primary caretaker of her husband and was coming back from visiting him at a nursing home when this sick, depraved individual brutally murdered her at the grocery store.

“We are thoroughly investigating the shooting and the events leading up to it. These grieving families deserve to know how a white supremacist, so vocal about his hatred, was able to carry out a premeditated and targeted act of terrorism against Black people – all while armed with an assault rifle fitted with a high-capacity magazine. It’s an all-too familiar scenario, with the same tragic, but preventable ending. We will get answers for these families, and we will hold those responsible for this tragedy accountable.”