Buffalo Sex Offender Spoke To The Shooter Before The Attack

According to a News 4 interview where reporter Tara Lynch spoke with sex offender Grady Lewis, Grady said he had over a 1-hour long conversation with the shooter, prior to the mass shooting. Grady spoke about his first iteration with Payton Gendron when mentioned he looked strange and new to the neighborhood, and his shirt caught his attention to spark a conversation. 

Grady Lewis said he spoke about critical race theory with Payton and said that Payton was a “Genius” after noticing the “Genius” decal on Payton’s shirt. Grady Lewis mentioned he also bought Payton something to drink prior to their long conversation, even though Payton was already making his own purchases of camo attire amongst other things.

Grady Lewis said on the day of the shooting, prior to his conversation the day before with Payton, that he felt uncomfortable being around the area he frequents on a daily basis.

That cause for concern has led people to believe that Grady Lewis, should have at least made some attempt to alert authorities, of a suspicious individual in the area. It has not been reported that Grady has been questioned by the authorities.

Grady Lewis is a registered sex offender, stemming from his arrest in 2000. He spent 3 years in jail and was convicted in 2001 for sexual assault in the 1st degree.