On Thursday, May 19, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump promised to sue “anyone” and “everyone” who allowed the deadly Buffalo attack to occur.
“We absolutely intend on going after the gun manufacturers, the gun distributors, and anybody else who was an accomplice to this young 18-year-old white supremacist.” Benjamin Crump said at a press conference outside the Antioch Baptist Church in Buffalo, New York.
As previously reported by mbbaglobal, suspected gunman Payton Gendron, walked into a Tops Friendly Markets grocery store on Saturday, May 14, and unleashed a hail of bullets in a targeted and racially motivated attack. Gendron reportedly drove over 200 miles from Conklin, New York, to the supermarket with a high concentration of Black people to carry out the massacre.
According to CNN, over 15 people joined the private Discord chat where the suspect detailed plans for the mass shooting shortly before the attack. The discord chat logs of the Buffalo white terrorist appear to indicate that this was not a “lone wolf attack.” He appears to have received advice and encouragement while driving across the state to carry out a terrorist attack. After invitations were distributed, all 15 people had instant access to his racist ramblings and plot.
According to Discord representatives, the company removed all related content as soon as it became aware of the attack. The shooter also updated his plan on 4chan, a hate-filled forum popular among White supremacists, mass murderers, and insurrectionists.
He gave credit to the site for instilling in him irrational fears of Black people replacing whites, although he had to drive three hours to find a Black neighborhood in upstate New York. Before launching the attack, the 18-year-old began a live-streaming broadcast on Twitch.
“My office is launching investigations into the social media companies that the Buffalo shooter used to plan, promote, and stream his terror attack,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said on Twitter. “This terror attack again revealed the depths and dangers of these platforms that spread and promote hate without consequence. We are doing everything in our power to stop this dangerous behavior now and ensure it never happens again.”
Rev. Al Sharpton attended the press conference, as did family members of the victims.
The calculated killer did not simply post his violent intentions on the internet. Susquehanna Valley Central High School called the police last year after he completed a school project on murder suicides.
And because they refused to intervene, the cops once again failed to prevent a crime. Officers could and should have filed a red flag order of protection under the Extreme Risk Protection Order law. Because he was a danger to himself and others, this order would have barred him from purchasing a firearm.
While officials work to limit gun access for people who pose a threat to themselves or others, Benjamin Crump has promised to hold enablers accountable. The civil rights lawyer vowed to sue “everyone” involved in the shooting, including the parents who put a gun in his hands.
“We intend on going after everybody that was an accomplice to this young monster, killing these innocent people,” attorney Benjamin Crump said.
