The Justice Department has filed federal hate crimes charges against the 18-year-old gunman who shot dead 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket last month. If convicted, Payton Gendron could be sentenced to the death penalty even though the Biden administration has imposed a moratorium on federal executions. Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke on Wednesday.

Attorney General Merrick Garland: “The affidavit in support of the complaint quotes the defendant as stating that his goal was to, quote, 'kill as many Blacks as possible.' The affidavit outlines how the defendant prepared for months to carry out this attack. It alleges that he selected a target in this ZIP code because it has the highest percentage of Black people close enough to where he lives.”