Authorities investigating if retired federal agent knew of Buffalo mass shooting plans in advance 

Law enforcement officers are investigating whether a retired federal agent had about 30 minutes advance notice of Gendron’s plans to carry out his attack at a Buffalo supermarket, two law enforcement officials told The Buffalo News. 

Authorities believe the former agent was one of at least six individuals who regularly communicated with accused gunman Payton Gendron in an online chat room where extreme views were discussed, the two officials said.  Officials believe the former agent is from Texas, but this has not yet been confirmed.

It is alleged that the agent and Gendron’s other online friends would regularly chat online about their hatred of Jews and non-whites, investigators say.

Sources allege Gendron shared his mass shooting plans and details about the target locations about half an hour before he attacked the upstate New York supermarket on May 14th. It is not clear if the agent accepted Gendron’s invitation to review his plans or if the individual read them.

However, officials have confirmed that none of the six invitees contacted authorities to warn them about the shooting, which the FBI has called a “racially motivated [act of] violent extremism.”

The FBI is also trying to unmask the true identity of the individual Gendron referred to as “Sandman,” and “Saint Sandman” in his online diaries published on Discord, a social media platform that allows users to communicate through private servers. The gunman’s posts suggest Sandman counseled him on weaponry before the massacre.

Gendron, who carried out the attack with an AR-15-style rifle while cloaked in body armor, has been charged with murder and is being held without bail. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime and Gendron could still face further charges.

Law enforcement sources allege the FBI is in the process of locating and interviewing the six people, including the former agent, who may have had prior knowledge about the fatal attack.

The agency’s probe hopes to determine if any of the six could be charged as accomplices to Gendron.

“What is especially upsetting is that these six people received advanced notice of the Buffalo shooting, about 30 minutes before it happened,” the insiders said. “The FBI has verified that none of these people called law enforcement to warn them about the shooting. The FBI database shows no advance tips from anyone that this shooting was about to happen.”

The officials added: “These were like-minded people who used this chat group to talk about their shared interests in racial hatred, replacement theory and hatred of anyone who is Jewish, a person of color or not of European ancestry.”

It still remains unclear exactly how many people may have had prior knowledge about the attack.