A New York man accused of opening fire at a Buffalo grocery store and killing 10 people in May pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges Monday. Peyton Gedron, appearing in an orange prison uniform and sneakers, entered at 11:01 a.m., wearing handcuffs and shackles. He sat at the defense table and stood up briefly as U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth Schroeder took the bench. Gedron did not speak. His attorney entered the plea and said his client could take a plea deal before the case goes to trial. Several family members of the victims attended the trial, including Zenetta Everhart, whose son Zaire Goodman was injured in the attack. BUFFALO grocery store shooting: Suspect worked at hometown market MONTHS BEFORE ‘RACIALLY MOTIVATED’ ATTACK Peyton Gedron arrives for a hearing at the Erie County Courthouse on May 19, 2022 in Buffalo, New York. Gedron is accused of killing 10 people and injuring 3 others during a shooting at a Tops supermarket on May 14 in Buffalo. The attack is believed to have been motivated by racial hatred. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) “It’s tough,” Everhart said after the hearing. “My son is still recovering from the gunshot wounds. It’s hard to sit in that courtroom with a terrorist.” She said she hopes for a life sentence but would support the death penalty for her son’s suspected attacker if prosecutors decide to seek it. A federal grand jury indicted Gendron last week on more than a dozen counts, including 10 counts of hate crimes resulting in death, three counts of hate crimes involving attempted murder and 13 counts of using, carrying or discharging a firearm in connection with a hate crime. SURVIVOR SHOOTING BUFFALO DESCRIBES THE HARD FIGHT AFTER WITNESSING THE ATTACK OF SUMMONED “HATE” BEGINNING Gendron, who is white, drove more than three hours from his home outside Binghamton to a Tops Market grocery store in a predominantly Black Buffalo neighborhood on May 14 and then allegedly opened fire. Schroeder asked if the defense had a chance to read the indictment and what plea they would make today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonya Zoghlin told the judge that while the defense “would hope” the parties could resolve this case “before trial,” at this point she is prepared to plead “not guilty” on behalf of of Gendron. BUFFALO TEEN WHOSE AUNT, COUSIN WAS INSIDE GROCERY STORE DURING ATTACK: ‘WE HAVE TO COME TOGETHER’ His next status hearing is Dec. 9, and the judge moved him back into state custody. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said after the attack that Gedron drove to the grocery store and shot four people outside, then went inside the store and continued his rampage. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia hugs Leah Holton-Pope, senior adviser to New York Assembly Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes before a memorial service for victims on the two-month anniversary of the attack by a racist gunman at a memorial outside the store in Buffalo, New York, Thursday, July 14, 2022. (Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP) Wearing body armor, he exchanged fire with security guard Aaron Salter, who was a retired police officer. Salter fired several rounds at Gedron before the suspect fatally shot him, Gramaglia said. He reportedly live-streamed the attack on the Internet and wrote a 180-page hate-filled manifesto. His attack left behind 10 dead and three wounded. Eleven of the victims were black, officials said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A memorial for the victims of the supermarket shooting is set up outside Tops Friendly Market on Thursday, July 14, 2022, in Buffalo, New York (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex) According to prosecutors, “Gendron’s motive for the mass shooting was to prevent blacks from replacing whites and exterminating the white race and to inspire others to commit similar attacks.” He could face life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of the federal charges. He also faces murder, domestic terrorism and other charges in New York state. Michael Ruiz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @mikerreports
