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What happens next after Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigns amid scandal?

July 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — After more than 50 resignations from government ministers and aides, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation Thursday.

For a moment on Tuesday evening, it seemed as though the prime minister, who had vowed to carry on despite the collapse of his authority and allies deserting him on all sides, would remain in office, sparking a potential constitutional crisis. But outside Downing Street on Thursday, Johnson caved into the pressure.

Soon enough, from within their ranks, the Conservative Party, who still hold a sizeable majority in the U.K. Parliament, will elect a replacement, and that person will become the fourth prime minister in the six years since the Brexit referendum of 2016.

What happens next?

While he did not specifically use the word “resign,” Johnson said, “The process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week.”

In the election process, Conservative MPs nominate their preferred candidate. There is then a run-off with the two most popular candidates, and then Conservative Party members (of the card-carrying, fee-paying kind), vote on who they want to be the next leader.

As the Conservatives have a majority in Parliament (thanks to Johnson’s big election win in 2019) — the winner of their leadership will become the next prime minister.

Reported polls in the U.K. have suggested Ben Wallace, the U.K.’s current secretary of state for defense who has been widely praised for his handling of support for Ukraine, as an early favorite in the race.

But the process is by no means instant. To put the transition into perspective, when Theresa May announced her resignation on the steps of Downing Street on May 24, 2019, Johnson, her successor, did not take office until July 24 — a gap of two months.

Johnson as caretaker?

Boris Johnson has already appointed new ministers to fill some of the gaps left by the dozens of resignations from his government, in a sign that he will attempt to hold true on his promise to stay in charge until a new leader is elected.

However, his resignation speech has not gone down well with embittered members of his party. He has already been accused of arrogance and blaming others for his own faults, instead of facing up to any of the mistakes that led to his departure.

And such is the nature of Johnson’s acrimonious departure, and his defiance in the face of so many calls to resign, that some lawmakers — both Conservative and in the opposition Labour Party — want him gone now.

The Conservative Party may feel that they need a clean slate, and, even on his way out, Johnson may hurt their chances of re-establishing trust with the country. There are indications already that the prime minister sees himself staying in office until the fall. A former Conservative Prime Minister, John Major, has already expressed that Johnson should be removed as soon as possible.

The opposition Labour Party have said they will call for a vote in Parliament to eject him from if Johnson’s removal does not happen.

In that event, Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, would take over as prime minister interim until they appoint a new leader.

A divided legacy

Johnson will always be known at home and on the international stage as one of the main architects of Brexit. He was the face of the campaign to leave the EU in 2016, and as prime minister, secured Britain’s exit from the bloc by winning a huge majority in 2019.

His election victories and unconventional style resonated with the public on the campaign trail, exemplified by the two terms he served as Mayor of London before his time in parliament, surprising in a Labour city.

But controversy has always followed him. “Partygate” proved a further stain on his reputation, presiding, to many, over a culture of drinking and lawbreaking while the country was locked down and families were separated from their loved ones, even after he spent time in the ICU with COVID himself. When he was fined by the Metropolitan Police for attending one of those gatherings he became the only sitting British PM in history to have been censured for breaking the law while in office.

Johnson also denied that he had knowledge of a lawmaker’s alleged past misconduct, which he had been told about in 2019, and then promoted him anyway, only for that colleague to repeat his offence.

Johnson’s authority was wounded by “Partygate,” but the latest scandal proved to be the straw the broke the camel’s back.

US Marshals director says protecting Supreme Court justices ‘a top priority’

July 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis said protecting Supreme Court justices from threats has been a key part of his agency’s mission even before the leaked draft of the opinion overturning Roe v. Wade in May, noting there were more than 4,500 threats to federal judges last year, including against those on the nation’s high court.

“It is something that is a top priority of the agency,” Davis told ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas in an interview set to air on ABC News Live “Prime” on Thursday.

“To allow judges to be intimidated, to allow judges to be threatened with violence, to influence those kind of decisions is a threat to our very democracy,” he said. “So we have to make sure that the third branch of government can operate without the threat of violence and can do without fear.”

When a California man allegedly traveled to the Washington, D.C., area with the intent to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanagh, it “sent a chill” through him, Davis said, adding he was proud of the deputy U.S. Marshals who first spotted the man and dissuaded the man from carrying out his alleged attack attempt.

“And it would be horrific to think that we could have had a Supreme Court justice assassinated in his home,” he said.

That man has pleaded not guilty.

Amid demonstrations outside of Supreme Court justices’ homes before and after the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Republican governors and members of Congress have urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to enforce a 1950s law prohibiting anyone “with the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice,” near a judge’s residence.

Davis said enforcing the law prohibiting picketing outside federal judge’s homes is not a “priority” but rather the safety and security of the justices is the Marshals Service’s mission.

“If so, directed, as you know, we would enforce the laws if directed to do so,” he said. “As far as the enforcement of that, that’s not our priority. That’s not our role right now, because we’re focusing on the residents and the justices at home and in travel.”

Last weekend, Supreme Court marshal Gail Curley wrote to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Montgomery County, Maryland, executive Mark Erlich, Virginia Gov. Glen Youngkin and Fairfax County, Virginia, Board chairman Jeff McKay asking them to enforce state and local laws that prohibit picketing outside justices’ homes.

“I am writing to request that the Virginia State Police, in conjunction with local authorities as appropriate, enforce state law that prohibits picketing outside of the homes of Supreme Court Justices who live in Virginia,” the letter to Youngkin said.

In her letter to Hogan, Curley cited threatening language and over 100 protesters who gathered outside the home of a Supreme Court justice in Maryland.

Highland Park mayor recalls being Cub Scout leader to alleged July 4 gunman

July 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — Before Nancy Rotering was mayor of Highland Park, she served her suburban community in another way: as a Cub Scout leader. One of the members of her troop was Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, the alleged gunman accused of opening fire on a Fourth of July parade, killing seven residents and injuring at least 30 others.

“I hadn’t seen him in probably 15 years. But, you know, at the time I knew him he was a little boy,” the mayor said Thursday in an interview with ABC News Live. “I’m not sure what has happened in his life that brought him to this point.”

The mayor noted that despite Highland Park’s relatively strict gun laws, the suspect was able to travel outside his hometown to legally purchase firearms.

“He didn’t buy this gun in Highland Park,” she said. “We need better laws throughout, not just the state of Illinois, but throughout our nation.”

Rotering said she attended her first vigil on Wednesday evening, hours after Crimo appeared in court for the first time. Authorities say he confessed to the massacre and that he had contemplated another attack the same day in Madison, Wisconsin.

Authorities said he “had not done enough planning,” and decided not to go through with the Wisconsin attack.

Crimo is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, and Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said more charges are expected.

The mayor said that while she believes the suspect deserves a life behind bars, she’s “not sure there will ever be justice in this case.”

As the funerals will soon begin for the victims, and as many remain in the hospital being treated for serious gunshot wounds, she described her suburban neighborhood outside of Chicago as completely shattered.

Rotering said this massacre has severely affected the mental health of the entire city, especially those who witnessed the attack and are mourning loved ones.

“It’s any time I’m walking down the street, we are hugging, we’re crying. People are gathering around what is still an active investigation, saying it’s brought such an unbelievably deep wound into the heart of our community,” she said. “No city should have to go through this.”

The mayor, who led the parade, said the holiday will now always be remembered as a day of tragedy. She said that until there is change on a national level many more celebrations will be turned into violence.

“We are a small ship in an ocean of a lot of guns,” she said. “This country needs to have a true reckoning of: Is this how we really want to remember our Independence Day? As a day of massacre and gun violence? Because this will be brought up every Fourth of July from now on.”

About 300,000 kids under 5 have gotten at least 1 dose of COVID vaccine so far

July 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — By the end of Thursday, roughly 300,000 children under the age of 5 years old will have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a senior Biden administration official told ABC News.

The 300,000 shots in arms so far for kids under 5 is about 1.5% of the roughly 19.5 million U.S. children 4 years old and younger.

It’s a modest start to vaccinating this youngest yet age group — a drip-drip the White House says they are not surprised by.

“That number in and of itself is very much in line with our expectation, and we’re eager to continue working closely with partners to build on this start,” the senior administration official said.

This latest data also comes on the heels of a holiday weekend, with lots of families traveling and not thinking about a trip to the pediatrician while on vacation. Moreover, data takes time to flow in, and there could be an increase in the weeks ahead, especially ahead of the school year.

“Even before these vaccines officially became available, this was going to be a different rollout, it was going to take more time,” the senior administration official said, citing that parents in this younger age range “overwhelmingly prefer to get their kids vaccinated at a place that they know, with health care providers they know, in familiar settings,” and many may opt to get their kids the shots during a regular or annual wellness visit.

The White House is counting on those moments and opportunities for parents to speak with their child’s doctor and get answers to whatever outstanding questions they may have.

Even before COVID vaccines were authorized for children under 5, polling presaged the apprehension we’re seeing play out in the gradual immunization rate now.

A Kaiser Family Foundation poll from early May — before the vaccines were authorized, recommended and available — found that less than a fifth of parents with children under the age 5 — 18% — reported they were eager to get their child vaccinated right away.

More than a third of parents — 38% — said they planned to wait to see how the vaccine works for others, while 27% of parents reported that they will “definitely not” get their child vaccinated, and 11% said that they will only do so if they are required. More than half of parents said that they feel they do not have enough information about the vaccines’ safety and efficacy for children under age 5.

With vaccination rates in kids under five starting out slow, the White House expects moments of acceleration spurred on by the academic calendar — or potential variant surges — including around back-to-school time and holidays.

This week, new infections among children are back on the rise for the first time in nearly two months — and surges can be “part of the conversation starter for a lot of parents about these vaccines,” the administration official said.

The senior administration noted there will always be holdouts no one can force to take the shot. However, the official said, “we have a really robust kind of engagement strategy” to “work through people’s concerns.”

“I think that it’s absolutely expected that once the school year starts, there will be unvaccinated children and vaccinated children,” the official said. “And I think that that’s going to be part of the dynamic that we’re working through.”

Even if young kids get their first shot this week, some may not be fully immunized by the academic year’s start, when vaccinated and unvaccinated children may commingle in the classroom.

The administration official noted that while increasing cases may be a “motivator,” it will vary by demographic.

The White House will continue to lean on “trusted messengers” within specific communities they see as having a great impact, like family doctors and pediatricians.

The White House is working with the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, to get the word out — including a PSA from Elmo — and have launched a partnership with the National Diaper Bank Network to distribute educational materials.

The question of vaccine mandates for school for this young age group will remain up to states.

ABC News’ Eric Strauss, Arielle Mitropoulos and Sony Salzman contributed to this report.

NYPD says murders and shootings are down, despite recent high-profile incidents

July 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Tim Drivas Photography/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — The New York City Police Department said Thursday that murders and shootings are down in the city, despite three people being killed within an hour the night before.

In June, murders were down 12% compared to the same period last year and shootings decreased by 13% last month compared to June 2021, the department said.

“This is real, tangible progress against violence in this city,” New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during a press conference.

Three homicides rocked the city in three different boroughs on Wednesday.

A 37-year-old man was killed by a suspect who rode up to his Jeep Grand Cherokee on a bicycle and opened fire in Brooklyn, authorities said. A 31-year-old female driver, believed to be a relative, attempted to drive away but blacked out and crashed the vehicle. She was not struck by the gunfire, according to police.

A 32-year-old man was also fatally shot in the backseat of his car outside his home in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, police say. A 28-year-old man later walked into Jamaica Medical Center, saying he was also shot. He is in stable condition, authorities say.

In the Bronx, a 30-year-old man was stabbed multiple times in the Baychester section of the borough, according to police. He jumped into a livery vehicle and attempted to drive away but crashed into a pole. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police say.

The motive for the stabbing is unclear, according to police.

No arrests have been made in any of the killings, police say.

The NYPD said that overall crime in New York City increased over 31% last month compared to June 2021. Rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny auto were all up year-over-year.

From Monday night into Tuesday morning, 21 people were injured in shootings across the city, authorities reported.

Sewell admitted that the increase in crime and the recent spate of shootings may lead people to believe that New York City is very dangerous but said the “perception among criminals is that there are no consequences for their actions.”

In March, the department recruited specially trained police officers and deployed them in neighborhoods across the city as part of its new Neighborhood Safety Teams. According to the NYPD, NST has removed 150 illegal guns from neighborhoods around the city.

Police called to suspect’s home ‘a number’ of times before July 4 shooting

July 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — Police have been called to the home of the alleged Highland Park parade shooter “a number of times” since 2002, Lake County Police Deputy Chief Chris Covelli tells ABC News.

Lake County police were called for various reasons, mostly domestic-related. Very few incidents involved the suspected shooter, 21-year-old Robert Crimo III, according to Covelli.

Documents released by the city Thursday show that in one instance, police conducted a well-being check on April 29, 2019, a week after Crimo “attempted to commit suicide by machette [sic].”

Crimo “has a history of attempts,” the police report stated while noting that the then-18-year-old did not make any threats against himself or others on the day of the visit.

Police returned to the home several months later, on Sept. 5, 2019, for another well-being check after Crimo “had made a threat in the household … that he was going to kill everyone,” according to the police report.

Officers seized a 24-inch “Samurai-type blade,” a 12-inch dagger and 16 hand knives belonging to Crimo’s father, according to the report.

Other records show that police responded to the home following reports of domestic disturbances, including verbal alteractions, on multiple occasions between 2009 and 2014.

Crimo is accused of opening fire at an Independence Day parade, killing seven people and injuring dozens of others. The suspect plotted another attack in Madison, Wisconsin, authorities said Wednesday, but did not follow through.

Crimo is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder in the wake of Monday morning’s mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. More charges are expected, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said.

According to prosecutors, Crimo confessed to the shooting.

State police said Wednesday there will be an investigation into the culpability of Crimo’s father, who signed a consent form for his son to apply for gun ownership in 2019, in the massacre.

His father, Bobby Crimo Jr., told ABC News he is not culpable in the July 4 attack.

ABC News’ Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

Michigan governor calls on Biden admin to ensure Americans can cross US-Canada border with abortion pills

July 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LANSING, Mich.) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday called on the Biden administration to “pull out all the stops” to ensure Americans are legally allowed to cross the U.S.-Canada border with abortion pills.

Whitmer has been fighting a 1931 anti-abortion law in Michigan that was dormant under Roe v. Wade. But with Roe now overturned by the Supreme Court, the Democratic government said she wanted to see Biden’s cabinet to jump into the fight to protect access to abortion.

In a letter to the departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security, Whitmer said the administration must make clear that Americans won’t be punished for seeking reproductive care in Canada or for bringing back medication abortion.

Medication abortion, which typically involves two pills and is available globally, is approved by U.S. regulators but only under a prescription from a certified clinician and obtained by certain manufacturers. States whose legislators oppose abortion have limited or banned access to the drugs entirely.

“In this perilous, precarious moment for women’s fundamental rights, we need to be creative and take bold action. We must lead,” Whitmer wrote in a statement.

In April, Whitmer sued over the 1931 Michigan law, which would ban abortion in the state. A similar lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood of Michigan led to an injunction against the law, which the Republican Legislature is now fighting, according to the Detroit Free Press. Whitmer last week asked the state Supreme Court to immediately consider her lawsuit.

Meanwhile in Michigan, voters have circulated a petition to get a measure on the ballot in November to vote on protecting abortion rights in the state’s constitution.

In late June, the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, which protected the right to abortion nationally. Now, the right to abortion is decided on a state-by-state level, and those in support of the right are scrambling to ramp up protections.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other officials have indicated Americans can access abortion care in Canada.

ABC News’ Alexandra Svokos contributed to this report.

US Marshals detail hunt for murder suspect Kaitlin Armstrong in Costa Rica

July 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(AUSTIN, Texas) — Kaitlin Armstrong, a suspect in the murder of professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson, changed her appearance and used several aliases after fleeing to Costa Rica, federal authorities said Thursday.

Armstrong, 34, was arrested on June 29 at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas after a 43-day search, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. She has since been deported and returned to the U.S., where she was booked on Tuesday in Travis County Jail by the Austin Police Department.

Armstrong was charged with felony first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Wilson, 25, in Austin on May 11. Wilson was romantically linked to Armstrong’s boyfriend, professional cyclist Colin Strickland, and was found shot hours after meeting up with him, police said.

Days after being questioned by police about the incident, Armstrong, a yoga instructor and realtor, fled Austin, authorities said.

During a press briefing Thursday, authorities detailed the hunt for the fugitive, which had been upgraded to “major case status” by the U.S. Marshals.

Investigators learned through a confidential source that the suspect was provided transportation to Newark Liberty International Airport on May 18, a day after Austin police officers issued a homicide warrant for her arrest, the U.S. Marshals said. She boarded a flight that day to San Jose, Costa Rica, using a fraudulent passport, according to Deputy U.S. Marshal Brandon Filla.

Armstrong “presented a passport that did not belong to her but belonged to someone that was closely associated with her,” Filla told reporters during a briefing Thursday.

Upon arriving in Costa Rica, Armstrong used several different aliases, including the name Beth Martin, at various lodgings and yoga studios, according to Filla.

“She was really trying to build something where she could instruct yoga there in Costa Rica,” Filla said.

Investigators went door-to-door, tracking Armstrong “from yoga establishment to other yoga estalishments” and spoke to lodgings that she had “left behind” as they closed in on her, Filla said.

Authorities eventually detained Armstrong at the Don Jon’s hostel on Santa Teresa Beach on an immigration violation for the fraudulent use of a passport, and she was transported back to San Jose, Filla said. During the six-hour drive she “eventually confessed to her true identity,” Filla said.

Armstrong had altered her physical appearance — dying her long, light brown hair a darker shade of brown and cropping it to shoulder length — and had a bandage on her nose, according to Filla.

When asked if they believe that Armstrong may have obtained plastic surgery, Filla said they have been unable to confirm that at this time.

“I will say, she had a bandage on her nose with a little bit of discoloration under her eyes,” he said. “Her statement was that it came from a surfboard incident, and I think we’ll just leave it at that.”

Filla said authorities are investigating the use of the fraudulent passport and won’t be commenting further at this time on any assistance they believe she had.

Authorities were offering a combined $21,000 for any tips leading to Armstrong’s arrest and received over 80 tips nationwide, Filla said.

Armstrong is currently being held at Travis County Jail on a $3.5 million bond. A hearing in a Travis County criminal court has been scheduled for July 20, court records show.

Armstrong’s attorney, Rick Cofer, said in a statement Saturday that “neither Kaitlin nor her attorneys will be making any statements to the media at this time.”

Following Thursday’s briefing, Strickland said he was “grateful that investigators, including the U.S. Marshals, have pursued all leads and opened the path to justice for Moriah Wilson and her family.”

“I will continue to provide my full cooperation for the sake of the Wilson family as they, along with so many others who have been affected, endure the burden of this senseless tragedy,” he said in a statement.

ABC News’ Lisa Sivertsen contributed to this report.

IRS asks watchdog to review audits of Comey, McCabe

July 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Internal Revenue Service is asking a government watchdog to review a pair of exceedingly rare and invasive tax audits targeting James Comey and Andrew McCabe, a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.

The matter will be analyzed by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Comey, the former director of the FBI, and McCabe, his deputy at the time, both drew the ire of former President Donald Trump for positions they took both in and out of office.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that Comey and McCabe were two of only several thousand Americans a year to attract these particular types of audits.

For 2017 tax year returns, the return for which Comey was audited, only 5,000 Americans were chosen. For 2018 tax year returns, the year for which McCabe was audited, 8,000 were chosen. More than 150 million Americans filed taxes in each of those years.

An IRS spokesperson said any suggestion that these two individuals were targeted would be “ludicrous and untrue.”

IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig “personally reached out” to the inspector general after receiving a press inquiry about the audits, the spokesperson added.

The Times reported that Comey’s audit began in November 2019 and McCabe’s began in October 2021. Rettig, a Trump appointee, was IRS commissioner at the time both audits began and remains commissioner at this time. His term expires in November.

“Federal Privacy laws preclude us from discussing specific taxpayer situations. Audits are handled by career civil servants, and the IRS has strong safeguards in place to protect the exam process — and against politically motivated audits,” the IRS spokesperson said.

The Treasury Department’s inspector general for tax affairs did not respond to ABC News’ requests for comment. A spokesperson for Trump told The Times that he had no knowledge of these audits.

McCabe told ABC News he has questions about why he was chosen for this rare audit.

“It is essential that institutions like the IRS can maintain the trust of the people they serve,” McCabe said. “While the IRS investigator I dealt with was professional and responsive at all times, I have questions about how I was selected for this audit. I look forward to hearing the results of their internal inquiry to understand more about how this supposedly random enforcement effort is conducted.”

Democrat Ron Wyden, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee — which has jurisdiction over taxes, IRS and the Treasury Department — said his panel will look at potential action on the issue.

“Donald Trump has no respect for the rule of law, so if he tried to subject his political enemies to additional IRS scrutiny that would surprise no one,” Wyden said in a statement shared with ABC News. “We need to understand what happened here because it raises serious concerns. Commissioner Rettig reached out to me to reiterate that any allegations of wrongdoing are taken seriously and are referred to the [inspector general] for further review.”

Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell went a step further, calling on President Joe Biden to fire Rettig. Pascrell chairs the Oversight Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee, which is the House’s tax-writing panel.

When asked during Thursday’s press briefing if Biden still has confidence in the IRS chief, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre would only say he is “up in November.”

“He is a commissioner of the IRS. Part of the administration. I’m going to leave it at that,” Jean-Pierre said.

She would not comment further and referred questions to the IRS.

– ABC News’ Trish Turner and Alexander Mallin contributed to this report.

Attorneys considering psychiatric defense for teen suspect in Buffalo mass shooting

July 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — Defense attorneys for the white teenager charged with killing 10 Black people in a Buffalo, New York, supermarket in what prosecutors described as a racially motivated mass shooting are considering a psychiatric defense.

During a status hearing for 18-year-old Payton Gendron Thursday afternoon in Erie County Court in Buffalo, the defense requested an extension to complete a psychiatric evaluation, according to ABC News Buffalo affiliate WKBW.

The suspect’s attorney said they are not sure if that defense will be used but want time to complete an evaluation, WKBW reported.

Judge Susan Eagan gave the defense 90 days to file a notice of a psychiatric defense, according to WKBW. She also denied another motion by the defense seeking to delay the state prosecution for one year while a separate federal case proceeds, WKBW reported.

Gendron is next scheduled to appear in Erie County Court on Oct. 6. He previously pleaded not guilty to a 25-count indictment, including 10 first-degree murder charges and three attempted murder charges stemming from the May massacre at a Tops market.

The teen is the first person in New York history to face a charge of domestic act of terrorism motivated by hate in the first degree, a crime enacted in the state in November 2020. If found guilty of that charge, Gendron faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn said during a news conference last month.

Gendron is also charged with 10 counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime, three counts of attempted murder as a hate crime and one count of criminal possession of a weapon.

The charges against Gendron reflect the white supremacist rhetoric and invective law enforcement sources told ABC News investigators was found on social media posts linked to the suspect, including a belief in the racist conspiracy theory known as replacement.

Gendron is accused of fatally shooting the six women and four men inside a Tops supermarket on May 14 “because of the perceived race and/or color” of the victims, according to the indictment. He also allegedly shot and wounded three people.

Flynn noted last month that two of the three victims who survived the shooting are white, but that attempted murder charges with a hate crime enhancement were filed on behalf of all the wounded victims because of Gendron’s “alleged intent.”

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said last month that at one point during the attack, Gendron allegedly aimed his AR-15-style rifle at a white Tops employee, who was shot in the leg and injured. Garland alleged that Gendron apologized to the victim before continuing the attack.

Investigators allege Gendron drove three hours from his home in Conklin, New York, and spent the day before the rampage conducting a final reconnaissance on the store before committing the mass shooting on a Saturday afternoon.

Authorities allege Gendron was wielding a Bushmaster XM rifle, dressed in military fatigues, body armor and was wearing a tactical helmet with a camera attached when he stormed the store around 2:30 p.m., shooting four people outside the business and nine others inside. Police said the suspect fired a barrage of more than 50 shots during the massacre.

Gendron allegedly livestreamed the attack on the gaming website Twitch before the company took down the live feed two minutes into the shooting.

Among those killed was 55-year-old Aaron Salter Jr., a retired Buffalo police officer who was working as a security guard at the supermarket. Authorities said Salter fired at the gunman, but the bullets had no effect due to the bulletproof vest the suspect wore.

Gendron was also charged last month with 26 federal counts, including 10 counts of committing a hate crime resulting in death; three counts of committing a hate crime involving an attempt to kill; 10 counts of using a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a crime of violence; and three counts of using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

During his first appearance in federal court on June 16, a magistrate judge urged federal prosecutors to quickly decide whether to seek the death penalty for Gendron, citing the expense to taxpayers of defending a death-eligible defendant. Prosecutors told the judge they will inform their superiors of his request, but a decision has yet to be announced on whether federal prosecutors will seek capital punishment.

During his first appearance in federal court on June 16, a magistrate judge urged federal prosecutors to quickly decide whether to seek the death penalty Gendron, citing the expense to taxpayers of defending a death-eligible defendant. Prosecutors told the judge they will inform their superiors of his request, but a decision has yet to be announce on whether federal prosecutors will seek capital punishment.

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