Did Tuesday's gubernatorial debate sway voters one way or the other?

The federal death penalty case for top shooter Payton Gendron opened with jury selection yesterday.

WBEN's Jim Fink was there.

There were many reasons why former Buffalo Fire Commissioner and mayoral candidate Garnell Whitfield was among those in attendance Tuesday afternoon for the beginning of the federal case against the Tops mass shooter, whose victims included Whitfield's mother Ruth, a well-known and much beloved East Side community leader.

The shooter may be facing the death penalty, a first in Buffalo's history, when the trial ends early next year.

But that's not why Whitfield was watching the early jury vetting process.

I'm not here for him.

I'm here for my family.

I'm here for my mother.

I'm here for victims everywhere.

Um, he is not, uh, the center of my attention.

You know, my attention is, is focused on the things that helped radicalize him, the things that are still very prevalent in our society, that cause people to hate and cause people to act out in a violent way.

Um, you know, white supremacy, white nationalism.

So those are the things I focus on, not him.

To Whitfield, the entire incident is a cautionary tale centering on hate and venom directed towards minorities.

"It needs to stop," Whitfield says, and many others agree with him.

Uh, I'll be glad when it's over.

Yep.

Okay? So, you know, uh, unfortunately, uh, this community, uh, those directly and indirectly impacted by this evil deed have to relive all of this again now.

The trial's expected to start in late November or early December.

This is Jim Fink for wben.com news.

Jim, thank you, and that continues today.

The federal death penalty case for top shooter Payton Gendron opened with jury selection yesterday.

WBEN's Jim Fink was there.

There were many reasons why former Buffalo Fire Commissioner and mayoral candidate Garnell Whitfield was among those in attendance Tuesday afternoon for the beginning of the federal case against the Tops mass shooter, whose victims included Whitfield's mother Ruth, a well-known and much beloved East Side community leader.

The shooter may be facing the death penalty, a first in Buffalo's history, when the trial ends early next year.

But that's not why Whitfield was watching the early jury vetting process.

I'm not here for him.

I'm here for my family.

I'm here for my mother.

I'm here for victims everywhere.

Um, he is not, uh, the center of my attention.

You know, my attention is, is focused on the things that helped radicalize him, the things that are still very prevalent in our society, that cause people to hate and cause people to act out in a violent way.

Um, you know, white supremacy, white nationalism.

So those are the things I focus on, not him.

To Whitfield, the entire incident is a cautionary tale centering on hate and venom directed towards minorities.

"It needs to stop," Whitfield says, and many others agree with him.

Uh, I'll be glad when it's over.

Yep.

Okay? So, you know, uh, unfortunately, uh, this community, uh, those directly and indirectly impacted by this evil deed have to relive all of this again now.

The trial's expected to start in late November or early December.

This is Jim Fink for wben.com news.

Jim, thank you, and that continues today.