Buffalo Mass Shooting Suspect Showed Signs Of Extremism In High School

Ten people were killed and several others were left injured when a white supremacist went on a shooting rampage in Buffalo, New York. The incident resulted in the arrest of 18-year-old Payton Gendron. Gendron left behind a manifesto which noted that his motivations were based on his extremist beliefs.

The Buffalo News reported that there were plenty of red flags surrounding Gendron before the shooting. He was investigated by Susquehanna Valley High School administrators after he made statements about shooting up the school in June of last year. Students also said he acted strangely and was open about his racist politics.

“A school official reported that this very troubled young man had made statements indicating that he wanted to do a shooting, either at a graduation ceremony, or sometime after.”

The alleged killer’s manifesto noted that he had been buying surplus military gear and ammo to prepare for the attack. One of his high school classmates noted that he once showed up to school in a hazmat suit.

Payton Gendron pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder. He is currently being represented by a public defender. Time will tell if that legal strategy changes.

The warning signs appear to have been there all along. The failure to find some sort of intervention when the shooter was espousing extremist views openly over the years is troubling. Unfortunately, ten people have lost their lives due to that deadly mistake.

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