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New York shooting: Retired police officer among those killed inside store (representative)
New York:
A heavily armed 18-year-old white gunman shot and killed 10 people Saturday at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, in a “racially motivated” attack that he broadcast live on camera, authorities said.
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said at a news conference that the gunman, who was wearing a helmet and tactical gear, was arrested after the massacre.
Gramaglia had 10 dead and three wounded. Police said most of the victims were black.
The gunman first shot four people in the parking lot of a Topps supermarket, three of them fatally, then went inside and continued shooting, Gramaglia said.
Among those killed inside the shop was a retired police officer who was working as an armed security guard.
The guard “engaged with the suspect and fired multiple shots,” but the gunman — who was protected by body armor — fired, Gramaglia said.
When police arrived, the shooter put a gun to his neck, but talked and eventually surrendered, he added.
Stephen Belongia, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Buffalo field office, said at a news conference that the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.
“We are investigating this incident as a hate crime and a case of racially motivated violent extremism,” Belongia said.
Erie County Sheriff John Garcia described the attack as “pure evil.”
“This is a racially motivated hate crime by someone outside of our community,” he said.
‘Day of Great Sorrow’
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said the suspect will be charged with first-degree murder, which carries a sentence of life without parole.
Byron Brown, the mayor of Buffalo — located in western New York on the US border with Canada — said the shooter “traveled hours from outside of this community to commit this crime.”
“This is a day of great pain for our community,” Brown said.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said US President Joe Biden had been informed of the “horrific shooting”.
Biden “will continue to receive updates throughout the evening and tomorrow as more information develops. The president and first lady are praying for those lost and their loved ones,” Jean-Pierre added.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the senior US senator from New York, tweeted: “We stand with the people of Buffalo.”
New York Gov. Cathy Hochul also tweeted that she was monitoring the situation and asked people in Buffalo to “avoid the area and follow the guidance of law enforcement and local officials.”
Last month, a “sniper-type” shooter opened fire in an upscale Washington neighborhood, wounding four people.
A graphic video of the shooting, which circulated online soon after, police suspect was shot by the shooter himself, but neither the authenticity nor the live broadcast has been confirmed.
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff, but was automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
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