New York: Authorities Say Mass Shooting At Buffalo Supermarket ‘Racially Motivated’, Gunman Arrested
Talking of the incident at a press conference, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said, “This is the worst nightmare that any community can face, and we are hurting and we are seething right now.”
New Delhi: The main accused behind the mass shooting in a supermarket in Buffalo that killed at least 10 people on Saturday, has been identified as a white 18-year-old person who was wearing military gear and live streaming the shooting with a helmet camera in what the authorities called a “racially motivated violent extremism.”
According to a report by the news agency Associated Press, the gunman was wearing body armor and military-style clothing when he attacked mostly the black shoppers and workers at the Tops Friendly Market. He also broadcast the shooting on a streaming platform called Twitch for almost two minutes before the stream was ended by the service provider.
The police said that he shot 11 victims and two white victims before surrendering. Three of the victims were fatally injured in the shooting, AP reported.
Later, the gunman was identified as Payton Gendron, of Conklin, New York, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Buffalo, by the police. The police also said that it was not clear why he travelled to Buffalo for the assault. However, a video from Twitch posted on his social media showed him arriving at the supermarket in his car.
"This is the worst nightmare that any community can face, and we are hurting and we are seething right now." -Buffalo, N.Y. Mayor Byron Brown on the mass shooting that left 10 people dead and three hurt. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime. https://t.co/jK5D05HyzN
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 15, 2022
Talking of the incident at a press conference, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said, “This is the worst nightmare that any community can face, and we are hurting and we are seething right now.”
He also added, “The depth of pain that families are feeling and that all of us are feeling right now cannot even be explained.”
Erie County Sheriff John Garcia pointedly called the shooting a hate crime during a news brief.
Gracia said, “This was pure evil. It was straight up racially motivated hate crime from somebody outside of our community, outside of the City of Good neighbors ... coming into our community and trying to inflict that evil upon us.”
“It is my sincere hope that this individual, this white supremacist who just perpetrated a hate crime on an innocent community, will spend the rest of his days behind bars. And heaven help him in the next world as well,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul, speaking near the scene of the attack.
Meanwhile, the Tops Supermarket also released a press 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.”
As per the AP report, President Joe Biden is also receiving updates on the developments in the case.
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