Ex-Federal Agent Communicated In A Chat Room With Buffalo Shooter

A former Federal Agent reportedly communicated with the Buffalo shooter in a chat room.

According to law enforcement reports, a formal federal agent based from Texas was in a chat room with Payton Gendron the man accused of killing 10 people in a Topps supermarket.

Gendron and the former agent reportedly chatted with one another in a chat room where the two exchanged hateful messages.

Authorities believe the former agent – believed to be from Texas – was one of at least six individuals who regularly communicated with accused gunman Payton Gendron in an online chat room where racist hatred was discussed, two officials said.https://t.co/gDiawjRd19

— The Buffalo News (@TheBuffaloNews) May 27, 2022

A "retired federal agent" had been in regular communication with the Buffalo shooter in an online chat room before the incident https://t.co/q3CE0WhgIe pic.twitter.com/jt8uFb8XPK

— Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) May 27, 2022

Buffalo News dropped these details:

Law enforcement officers are investigating whether a retired federal agent had about 30 minutes advance notice of a white supremacist’s plans to murder Black people at a Buffalo supermarket, two law enforcement officials told The Buffalo News.

Authorities believe the former agent – believed to be from Texas – was one of at least six individuals who regularly communicated with accused gunman Payton Gendron in an online chat room where racist hatred was discussed, the two officials said.

The two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the investigation stated these individuals were invited by Gendron to read about his mass shooting plans and the target location about 30 minutes before Gendron killed 10 people at Tops Markets on Jefferson Avenue on May 14.

The News could not determine if the retired agent accepted the invitation.

Any here we go! Feds were in the chat room with the the Buffalo shooter? https://t.co/O27aGBLRbk

— Sam Tripoli (@officialtripoli) May 27, 2022

Fox 4 News had these details to add:

The suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, set up a chatroom on Discord just before he shot and killed 10 people, according to an invitation for the room reviewed by The Washington Post.

The Post obtained a copy of an invitation from shooting suspect Payton Gendron titled “Happening: This is not a drill” right before 13 people were shot at a Tops grocery store.

A person familiar with the matter told the outlet that 15 people joined the room, prompting investigators to look into the possibility that Gendron was encouraged by online friends.

The discovery means more people were able to watch the shooting than initially believed, with authorities aware shortly after the shooting that it had been livestreamed on Twitch.

The Post says a review of the shooter’s Discord server shows a number of racist messages and planning for the mass shooting going back as many as six months.