Buffalo, US

Survivors who witnessed last year's Buffalo mass shooting sued social media and firearms-related companies in order to make them accountable for causing emotional trauma. On May 14, a white supremacist killed 10 Black victims in a shooting last year at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. 

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Local media outlets reported that two new civil lawsuits have been filed in this case. The pair of lawsuits, submitted on Tuesday (August 16) at a state court in Buffalo, said that the massacre was made possible by a host of companies and individuals. 

It said the gunman Payton Gendron was allegedly radicalised on the websites, such as YouTube and Reddit, through exposure to harmful content, and learned information to carry out the attack. 

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They have also sued three retailers, Mean Arms, Vintage Firearms and RMA Armament, that allegedly sold firearm equipment and body armour that was apparently used by Gendron. 

Along with Gendron's parents, the tech giants Alphabet and Google, who own YouTube, are defendants. The non-profit organisation Everytown for Gun Safety brought the legal claim. 

As quoted by Spectrum Local News, Fragrance Harris Stanfield, who was working that day at Tops, said at a news conference: "I still live with those images every day. It’s a part of my life. For the rest of my life, I will have it in my mind."

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She is among the 16 employees and other survivors who are plaintiffs in one of the suits. 

Overall, the plaintiffs include store employees and customers. They claimed that the shooting left them with long-lasting emotional distress, and symptoms including anxiety, depression, insomnia, lethargy and nightmares. 

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Who is Payton Gendron? 

Gendron was 18 years old at the time of the attack. Earlier this year in February, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole, after pleading guilty to charges including murder and terrorism motivated by hate. 

At the time of sentencing, Gendron offered a statement of apology to the families of the victims. 

The life sentence was expected as New York does not have a death penalty. 

After the hearing, Gendron reportedly directed his attorney and other members of the defence to not file an appeal for the sentence. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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