Payton Gendron, 18, was first arraigned on Saturday, where he pleaded not guilty. Local and federal authorities were also investigating the possibility of terrorism and hate crime charges.
Authorities said Gendron had traveled more than three hours from Conklin, N.Y., to the Tops Friendly Market grocery store specifically to carry out the attack in the predominantly Black neighborhood, which also injured three other people.
In court on Thursday, someone yelled “Payton, you’re a coward!” at Gendron as he was escorted from the room. His next scheduled court appearance is June 9.
On Monday, local police confirmed Gendron had visited the Buffalo store on March 8, seemingly to scope out the area. A security guard confronted him as he was taking down details of the location, a document obtained by ABC News shows.
FBI Director Christopher Wray told law enforcement during a call on Monday the mass shooting was inspired by the Christchurch, New Zealand, attack on two mosques that left 51 people dead in 2019.