Payton Gendron, a 19-year-old white man, was scheduled to appear in court at 9:30 a.m. ET, where he is expected to enter guilty pleas on all 25 counts in a state indictment, according to Terrence Connors, who represents the families of seven people who were killed in the shooting and two who were injured. The suspect previously pleaded not guilty.
Gendron is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, 10 counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime and three counts of attempted murder as a hate crime, according to the indictment. He also faces a domestic terror charge and a weapons charge, the indictment shows. Investigators believe Gendron targeted the victims, ages 20-86, based on race. Authorities have said he traveled from hours away to carry out the attack on May 14 at the Tops Friendly Markets, which is in a predominantly Black community. Eleven of the 13 people shot were Black and two were White, officials said.
When reached by CNN earlier this month, the suspect's attorney, Dan DuBois, was not permitted to comment because of a gag order in the case, he said. The Erie County District Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting the case, is also under a gag order and declined to comment at the time.