Further investigation revealed that in 2021, when he was still a minor, Gendron made a “generalized threat” while he was attending Susquehanna Valley Central High School.
“Apparently, he was investigated when he was a high school student, brought to the attention of the authorities. He had a medical evaluation based on something he had written in school, and so we’re going to find out what happened in the aftermath,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.
Gendron was charged with first-degree murder. According to Buffalo City Chief Judge Craig Hannah, he pleaded not guilty in court the night of the attack. Erie County Sherriff John Garcia added that Gendron is currently under suicide watch.
Later, an online manifesto with over 180 pages was uploaded online in alleged connection with the Buffalo mass shooting as it was reported that Gendron himself wrote it. In the manifesto, he observed how the white population was dwindling down and that there was a so-called replacement of “whites” culturally and ethically. There, he also describes himself as a fascist, a White supremacist, and an anti-Semite.
“We are obviously going through that with a fine-toothed comb and reviewing that for all evidence that may lead us to besides the manifesto itself,” Erie County District Attorney John Flynn told CNN.
A Message from Biden Regarding the Buffalo Mass Shooting
A day after the incident, President Joe Biden called for unity to help stem the “hate that remains a stain on the soul of America.”
In an address during an annual law enforcement ceremony at Capitol Hill, Biden said that he and the rest of the first family’s thoughts are with the victims of the mass shooting who were attacked “by a lone gunman, armed with weapons of war and hate-filled soul” and the families that are currently mourning their losses.
“We must all work together to address the hate that remains a stain on the soul of America,” Biden said during the 41st annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service. “Our hearts are heavy once again, but the resolve must never, ever waver.”
“No one understands this more than the people sitting in front of me,” he added, referring to the people in attendance.
Despite Biden’s message, many lawmakers still call for a stronger federal resolve from the administration to end a “uniquely American phenomenon” of mass shootings.
“It seems like there are those that belief owning a gun is more precious than the sanctity of human life,” the Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said in an interview.
“So I think people all across this country have to rise up. They have to speak more loudly and more clearly that there must be gun control in this country. This is a uniquely American phenomenon. These mass shootings don’t happen in other countries across the world.”
Critics would point out that the claim that mass shootings only happen in the US is not born out by the facts. At least 18 other countries have experience mass shootings in past decades. The shooter wrote in a long manifesto that he took inspiration from the March 15th, 2019 mass shooting in Christchurch New Zealand when a gunman killed 51 people in two mosques during worship services.
While gun violence in the US is higher than in other countries, so is the rate of gun ownership. It stands to reason that countries that do not see gun ownership as a right, will have fewer guns and less gun violence. That being said, the incidents that most often lead to gun violence in the US are domestic issues between partners, mental illness and substance abuse.
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