Social Platforms Used By Buffalo Shooter Under Legal Scrutiny

ALBANY, NY — New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday announced her office is launching an investigation into social media platforms authorities say 18-year-old Payton Gendron used to promote, plan and stream Saturday's attack on a Buffalo supermarket that left 10 people dead.

According to a statement by James, her office plans to investigate Twitch, 4chan, 8chan, Discord, and other platforms used by the shooter to "amplify this attack."

"This terror attack again revealed the depths and dangers of these platforms that spread and promote hate without consequence," James said in a statement posted to Twitter. "We are doing everything in our power to stop this dangerous behavior now and ensure it never happens again."

Gendron of Conklin, New York, is charged with first-degree murder after police say he walked into Tops Market on Buffalo's Jefferson Avenue and opened fire. Wearing body armor and a camera to livestream the attack, Gendron eventually surrendered to authorities.

Gendron reportedly planned the massacre for months, detailing his plans through numerous online postings.

The Washington Post reviewed more than 600 pages of messages reportedly written by Gendron and posted online before the attack. In the messages, the author identified the supermarket as "attack area 1" and identified two other Buffalo locations where he planned to "shoot all blacks."

The author of the messages also posted hand-drawn maps of the grocery store along with tallies of the number of Black people he counted there during a reconnaissance-style trip before the shooting, according to an Associated Press report.

The messages dating as far back as November surfaced on the chat platform Discord two days after the shooting, according to the AP, but were posted publicly sometime ahead of the attack.

In a statement to CBS News, a Discord spokesperson said "hate has no place" on the platform. The spokesperson also said the company plans to cooperate with law enforcement throughout the investigation.

Discord told CBS News that while Gendron did have a diary chat log on a private server, no one saw the messages until 30 minutes before the attack.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she issued a referral to James' office to investigate the platforms.

"Social media platforms must take responsibility and be held accountable for favoring engagement over public safety," Hochul tweeted.

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