Buffalo Shooting Suspect Sought Gun, Gear Advice From Discord Before Crime: Report

Payton Gendron, the 18-year-old accused of shooting and killing 10 people at a New York supermarket, appeared to have sought advice about the gear he would need to carry out violent acts from an online forum.

Data collected from the Discord chat server called “Plate Land” showed a user named “jimboboiii” talking about guns and armor between Aug. 1, 2020 and Jan. 1, 2021. The user posted at least 83 messages in the chat server, including three messages of ammunition he purchased as well as a camouflaged plate carrier. The user also said he had access to items from the Vietnam War from his grandmother’s house, according to information obtained by Unicorn Riot.

Law enforcement officials said Gendron streamed the attack on video game livestreaming platform Twitch using the same username, “jimboboii.” The video has since been deleted from the platform.

Unicorn Riot also obtained copies of messages where “jimboboii” was seen asking questions about how body armor could be defeated.

“How many non penetrative bullets like 9×19 rounds will it take to go through something like level 4 ceramic body armor?” one of the questions read.

“Would a 30-06 M2 Alternative be better at penetrating armor than a regular M2 Ball? […] I mean M2 alternative i bought some at a gun store the other day,” another question read.

Gendron has been accused of storming the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, NY on Saturday afternoon while dressed in tactical gear and armed with an assault rifle. The 18-year-old shot 13 people, killing 10 and wounding three others before he surrendered to the police. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said 11 of the victims were Black while two were White.

Officials also found a 180-page manifesto believed to have been written by Gendron. The manifesto, which included the birth date and biographical details similar to that of the suspect’s, was posted to Google Docs on Thursday, two days before the shooting.

In the manifesto, the author claimed he believed the false replacement theory, which claimed white people around the world are being replaced by non-white people. The theory has been used by white killers to justify violence against people of color, according to NBC News.