New York: 10 killed in 'racially-motivated' shooting, suspect arrested
A heavily-armed 18-year-old white man shot 10 people dead and injured three others, most of them Black, at a Buffalo grocery store in New York on Saturday, as per US authorities. The attacker also reportedly live-streamed the "racially-motivated" mass shooting incident. According to Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia, the gunman, who was wearing a helmet and tactical gear, was arrested after the massacre.
According to Gramaglia, the gunman initially opened fire on four people outside the store, killing three. On entering the store, he encountered a retired Buffalo Police officer, who fired multiple rounds at the gunman. The bullets struck the gunman's bulletproof jacket and had no impact, Gramaglia added. According to the commissioner, the gunman then murdered the former cop.
According to authorities, a video recorded the suspect walking into the supermarket and shooting several other victims inside. Eleven of his victims were Black and two were white. The supermarket chosen for the crime is located north of downtown Buffalo—in a predominantly Black neighborhood. When officers arrived, the shooter had his gun to his throat, but he was talked down and he eventually surrendered.
"This is the worst nightmare that any community can face, and we are hurting by what we are seeing right now," said Buffalo's Mayor Byron Brown. The shooter "traveled hours from outside this community to perpetrate this crime... This is a day of great pain for our community. The depth of pain that families are feeling and...all of us...cannot even be explained," Brown added.
The FBI's Buffalo field office is investigating the shooting as a hate crime, said the special agent in charge, Stephen Belongia. "We are investigating this...as both a hate crime and a case of racially motivated violent extremism," Belongia said. Calling the attack "pure evil," Sheriff John Garcia of Eerie County said, "It was straight-up racially motivated hate crime from somebody outside of our community."
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that US President Joe Biden was informed about the "horrific shooting." Biden "will continue to receive updates throughout the evening and tomorrow... President and the First Lady are praying for those who died and for their loved ones," she added. The incident came after a "sniper-type" shooter injured four people in a Washington neighborhood last month.
Incidents of mass shootings occur quite frequently in the United States. According to the Gun Violence Archive website, such incidents cause around 4,000 deaths a year in the country. New York City, too, has witnessed an increase in shooting incidents this year. From January to April 3, shooting incidents rose to 296 from 260 during the same period last year, police statistics showed.
