The man accused of trying to enter a predominantly black church before shooting and killing two people at a Kroger grocery store in Kentucky has been indicted on hate crime and gun charges, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Gregory A. Bush, 51, faces life in prison or the death penalty for the charges, though the department said in a news release prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.
The indictment alleges that Bush used a Smith & Wesson 411 .40-caliber pistol to shoot and kill two people and shoot a third because of their race and color on Oct. 24, after substantial planning and premeditation.
Bush had allegedly first tried to enter First Baptist Church in Jeffersontown, Ky., but found services concluded and the building locked. The Kroger shooting occurred just days before the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh that claimed the lives of 11 people and injured seven others.
“The crimes alleged in this indictment are horrific,” said acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker. “We cannot and will not tolerate violence motivated by racism. We will bring the full force of the law against these and any other alleged hate crimes against fellow Americans of any race.”
