Payton Gendron, who was 18 at the time of the mass shooting, has already pleaded guilty to separate state charges of murder and domestic terrorism and was sentenced in February to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

His defence lawyers have previously said he would consider pleading guilty to more than two dozen federal charges – including hate crime and firearm offences – if the death penalty were taken off the table.

In Friday’s filing, the US justice department outlined the reasons for seeking the death penalty, including the fact that the massacre was motivated by Gendron’s “animus toward Black persons.”

Authorities said Gendron targeted a Tops Friendly Markets store on May 14, 2022, because it was in a predominantly Black neighbourhood.

He streamed live video of the attack on the social media platform Twitch and posted material online showing he had drawn inspiration from other racially motivated mass killings, according to authorities.