Chaos in Courtroom as Family Member of Victim Lunges at Buffalo Grocery Shooter, Held Back by Swarm of Cops

A stunning scene unfolded in a Buffalo, New York courtroom during the sentencing hearing for a gunman convicted of killing 10 people at a grocery store when a family member of one of the victims lunged at the defendant and had to be restrained by a swarm of police officers.

Payton Gendron, 18 years old at the time of the shooting, traveled to Buffalo to target the heavily Black neighborhood, according to a 180-page rant he posted online prior to the shooting that contained racist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Ten people were killed and three others wounded in the shooting, and Gendron was taken into custody. He was charged with first-degree murder and other charges, facing a sentence of up to life in prison without parole (New York does not have the death penalty).

Last November, Gendron pled guilty to the charges against him, which included one count of domestic act of terrorism motivated by hate, 10 counts of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted murder and a weapons possession charge, according to CNN.

During Wednesday morning’s sentencing hearing, Barbara Massey was giving a victim impact sentencing regarding her sister Katherine Massey, a 72-year-old woman who died in the shooting.

“My sister Katherine Massey was a great person,” said a clearly emotional Massey. “Katherine didn’t hurt anybody. You don’t come our city and decide you don’t like Black people — man, you don’t know a damn thing about Black people. We are human. We like our kids to go to good schools. We love our kids. We never go in no neighborhoods and take people out –”

As Massey spoke, a man wearing a gray sweatsuit stood behind her and then suddenly lunged forward, rushing towards the defense table where Gendron was sitting with his attorneys. Police quickly swarmed around him and blocked him from moving forward as Gendron was escorted out of the courtroom.

It is not yet known exactly who the man was who lunged at Gendron, but multiple media reports described him as a family member of a victim of the shooting.

CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez reported that the hearing had resumed after the judge admonished those in the courtroom to keep themselves under control, acknowledging that it was emotional and difficult, but to please leave the courtroom if you could not bear to hear what was being said.

“I’m amazed it doesn’t happen more often,” replied anchor Erica Hill. “I can only imagine the anger and hurt of the people involved there.”

Watch above via CNN.