Man lunges at Buffalo shooter during tense sentencing hearing

The man who killed 10 people May 14 at a Buffalo supermarket was briefly removed from a courtroom Wednesday after a man lunged at him during the tense sentencing proceeding, which ended with him being told that he would spend the rest of his life in prison.

The incident happened just after 10:20 a.m. as Barbara Massey, the sister of Katherine Massey, was speaking. Katherine Massey, known as “Kat,” was one of 10 people killed by Payton Gendron in the racist attack.

“You don’t even know Black people,” Barbara Massey said. “Your little (expletive) decided to come and kill my sister.”

As she spoke, an unidentified man stood behind her before taking several quick steps toward Gendron, who sat near his attorneys. Before the man could reach Gendron, a clutch of courtroom officers stepped in to restrain him and pull him away.

Other officers swiftly escorted Gendron from the courtroom amid a chaotic scene. Reporters observing the sentencing described family members of the shooting victims walking out of the courtroom, some in tears.

Erie County Judge Susan Eagan, who is overseeing the sentencing, also left at one point. And Erie County District Attorney John Flynn came into the room to consult with prosecutors.

After about 10 minutes, Eagan returned to the bench and cautioned spectators against any further outbursts as she restarted the proceedings with further victim impact statements.

When they were finished, and after Gendron read from a statement in which he apologized for he pain he caused, Eagan delivered a treatise on the history of racism in the United States. She said that the “ugly truth is that our nation was found and built in part on white supremacy.”

But Eagan also said the community had revealed its character in the way it responded to the racist killing.

“I am immensely proud and grateful for the way Buffalo had rejected the evil and hate that was inflicted on our community,” she said.

Addressing Gendron, she said: “There is no place for your hateful and evil ideology in a civilized society. There can be no mercy, no understanding, no second chances. The damage caused is too great. You will never see the light of day as a free man again.”