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image source, Getty Images
The suspect traveled several hours to the supermarket in Buffalo where he committed the massacre.
At least ten people died this Saturday and three others were injured in a shooting that occurred in a supermarket in the city of Buffalo, United States.
The suspect in the attack entered the busy Tops Friendly Market supermarket on Saturday before opening fire while using a camera to live stream the attack on the social gaming platform Twitch, police said.
Authorities reported that an 18-year-old man was arrested at the crime scene. Hours later he was identified as Payton Gendron, from Broome County, New York.
The FBI is investigating the shooting as a racially motivated hate crime. The supermarket is in a predominantly black neighborhood north of Buffalo. The surrounding area is mainly residential.
Buffalo Police Department Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia confirmed at a news conference that the shooter was heavily armed and wearing bulletproof military gear and a tactical helmet.
The man shot four people in the supermarket parking lot and then went inside and continued shooting, Gramaglia said.
image source, EPA
The attack occurred in a predominantly black area of Buffalo and has been called a racially motivated hate crime.
Among those killed inside the store was a retired police officer who worked as an armed security guard.
The guard “confronted the suspect, fired multiple shots,” but the gunman killed him, Gramaglia said.
When police arrived, the shooter put the gun to his neck but was dissuaded and surrendered, he added.
Shonnell Harris, manager of Tops, told the local newspaper Buffalo News that he heard about 70 shots and that he fell several times while running through the store to the rear exit. He claimed that Gendron “looked like he was in the army.”
Quoted by the Archyde.com news agency, retired firefighter Katherine Crofton, who lives nearby, said she witnessed the carnage start from her porch. “I saw him shoot this woman,” Crofton said.
“She was walking into the store. And then she shot another woman who was putting the groceries in her car. I ducked because I didn’t know if she was going to shoot me,” he added.
Gendron was later presented in court where he pleaded not guilty. He was charged with first degree murder, which could sentence him to life in prison, and held without possibility of bail.
“This is the worst nightmare any community can face and we’re hurting, we’re furious right now,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said.
image source, Courtesy of BigDawg via REUTERS
Social media image of the moment Payton Gendron was arrested.
He added that the suspect was not from the city and is believed to have driven for several hours to reach the predominantly black area of Buffalo.
“We are investigating this incident as a hate crime and a case of racially motivated violent extremism.“Stephen Belongia, the special agent in charge of the FBI office in Buffalo, said at the news conference.
The official voices indicated that in the shooting there was a component of ritual and premeditation that would be evidence of racial animosity.
Gendron, who is white, traveled more than 350 km to open fire in a majority black community. Of the 13 victims left by his attack, 11 were black people.
A police officer told CBS that the detained suspect allegedly yelled racial slurs while shooting.
Describing the aftermath of the attack, another police officer told Buffalo News: “It’s like walking into a horror movie, but it’s all real. It’s like Armageddon.” New York Governor Kathy Hochul described the incident as a “despicable act of violence” and said she would travel to Buffalo to help with the answer. She referred to the crime as a “military-style operation” against civilians who were shopping for groceries.
US President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting. “The President and First Lady are praying for those who have been lost and for their loved ones,” a White House statement said.
“Hate must not have a safe harbor. We must do everything in our power to end domestic terrorism fueled by hate,” he said.
Twitch’s response
According to the AFP news agency, when asked if the shooter broadcast the killings, a spokesperson for the service said that “the user has been indefinitely suspended from our service” and that they are “taking all appropriate measures, including monitoring of any account that retransmits this content”.
According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published by AFP, in the US there were 19,350 homicides with firearms in 2020, almost 35% more than in 2019.
Despite recurring mass shootings and a national wave of gun violence, multiple initiatives to reform gun regulations have failed in the US Congress, leaving states and local councils to enact their own restrictions.
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