Buffalo, New York –
An 18-year-old white man in military uniform and broadcasting live with a helmet camera opened fire with a rifle at a supermarket in Buffalo, killing 10 people and wounding three others on Saturday in what authorities described as “racially motivated violent extremism.”
Police said he shot dead 11 blacks and two white victims before surrendering to authorities in a rage he broadcast live on streaming platform Twitch.
He later appeared before a judge in a paper medical gown and was charged with murder.
“I sincerely hope that this man, this white supporter who has just committed a crime of hatred against an innocent community, will spend the rest of his days behind bars. And may heaven help him in the next world,” said Governor Cathy. He wanted to speak near the place of the attack.
The massacre shocked an unsettled nation plagued by racial tensions, gun violence and a series of hate crimes. The day before the shooting, Dallas police said they were investigating a series of shootings in the Korean Quarter as hate crimes. The Buffalo attack came just a month after another mass shooting on a subway train in Brooklyn, injuring 10 people.
The suspect in the attack on Saturday’s Tops Friendly Market was identified as Peyton Hendron of Conklin, New York, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Buffalo.
It was not immediately clear why Peyton had traveled to Buffalo and this particular grocery store. A video apparently from his Twitch show on social media shows Gendron arriving at the supermarket in his car.
The gunman shot dead four people in front of the store, killing three, said Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramagia. A security guard, who was a retired Buffalo police officer, fired several shots at the store, but a bullet that hit the gunman’s bulletproof vest had no effect, Gramagia added.
The gunman then killed the guard, the commissioner said, then stalked the store, shooting other victims.
“This is the worst nightmare any community can face, and we are hurt and boiling right now,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown told a news conference. “The depth of the pain that families are experiencing and that we are all experiencing right now cannot even be explained.”
Police entered the store and collided with the assailant in the lobby.
“At that moment, the suspect put the gun to his neck,” Gramagia said. Two police officers made him drop his gun, the commissioner said.
Twitch said in a statement that it had stopped broadcasting Gendron “less than two minutes after the violence began.”
In an earlier news briefing, Eri County Sheriff John Garcia called the shooting a hate crime.
“It was pure evil. “It was a racially motivated hate crime by someone outside our community, outside the City of Good Neighbors … who comes to our community and tries to do us that harm,” Garcia said.
Witnesses Bradyne Kefart and Shane Hill, both 20, stopped in the parking lot just as the shooter was leaving. They described a white man in his late teens or early twenties wearing full camouflage, a black helmet, and what looked like a rifle.
“He was standing there with the gun to his chin. We were like what the hell was going on? Why is this kid with a gun in his face?” Said Kefart. He fell to his knees. “He tore off his helmet, dropped his pistol and was cut by police.
Tops Friendly Markets issued a statement saying: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.”
Officials said the Gendron rifle used in the attack was bought legally, but that the shops he used for ammunition were not allowed to be sold in New York.
The shooting came just over a year after an attack in March 2021 at the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, that killed 10 people. Investigators have not released any information as to why they believe the man accused of the attack is heading to the supermarket.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson issued a statement calling the Buffalo shooting “absolutely devastating”.
“Our hearts are with the community and all those affected by this terrible tragedy. Hatred and racism have no place in America. We are broken, extremely angry and praying for the families and loved ones of the victims,” he added.
Rev. Al Sharpton called on the White House to convene a meeting with blacks, Jewish and Asian leaders, “to emphasize that the federal government is (escalating) its efforts against hate crimes.”
At the White House, spokeswoman Carin Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden was receiving regular information about the shooting and the investigation and had prayed with the first lady for the victims and their loved ones.
“The president has been briefed by his home security adviser on the horrific shooting in Buffalo, New York, this afternoon. He will continue to receive updates throughout the evening and tomorrow when more information becomes available,” she said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland was briefed on the shooting, Justice Department spokesman Anthony Collie said.
More than two hours after the shooting, Erica Pu-Matthews was waiting in front of the store, behind a police line.
“We would like to know the status of my aunt, my mother’s sister. She was there with her fiancé, they broke up and went on different paths, “she said. “One bullet barely missed him. He managed to hide in the freezer, but he couldn’t reach my aunt and he doesn’t know where she is. We just want to say if it’s okay anyway.
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Associated Press reporters Eric Tucker of Washington contributed to the report. Balsamo reports from Washington and Collins reports from Hartford, Connecticut.
This is absolutely devastating. Hatred and racism have no place in America. We are broken, extremely angry, and we pray for the families and loved ones of the victims, as well as for the entire community. #BuffaloNY #BuffaloStronghttps: //t.co/uT23SjCAaM
– Derrick Johnson (@DerrickNAACP) May 14, 2022
These hate crimes must be met with a united front against hate violence. Blacks, Jews, and Asians were often targeted. The leaders of all these communities must stand together in this!
– Rev. Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) May 14, 2022
I follow closely the shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo. We offered assistance to local authorities. If you are in Buffalo, please avoid the area and follow the instructions of law enforcement and local officials.
– Governor Katie Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) May 14, 2022
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