A gunman opened fire on Saturday, May 14, inside a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York State (northeast of the United States), killing at least ten people, before killing himself. surrender to the police.
"Three other people were injured, two of them very seriously," said the local daily The Buffalo News, citing a police official at the scene of the tragedy and another source close to the police.
The suspect, an 18-year-old white male, was armed with an assault rifle and appears to have acted alone, Buffalo police said.
She announced on Twitter that the "shooter is already in custody".
BREAKING: BPD on scene of a mass shooting at the Tops in the 1200 block of Jefferson Avenue.
Police say multiple people have been struck by gunfire.
The shooter is in custody.
Motorists and residents are urged to avoid the area.
— Buffalo Police Dept (@BPDAlerts) May 14, 2022
A police source told The Buffalo News that the shooter had a camera and was wearing a body armor with a "military grade helmet".
Police are verifying whether the shooter broadcast the attack live, as reported by some on social media.
A possible "racial motivation"
Authorities said they considered the shooting a hate crime and an act of "racially motivated violent extremism".
The suspect traveled to Buffalo from another county in New York state to attack a supermarket in a predominantly African-American neighborhood, authorities said.
Eleven of the thirteen people shot were black, two others were white, authoritative sources said.
The investigation into the shooting is therefore studying a possible "racial motivation", announced the FBI.
"We are investigating this incident as both a hate crime and a case of racially motivated violent extremism," Stephen Belongia, special agent in charge of the FBI's Buffalo office, said at a press conference.
Messages of support
The shooting caused a stir in the city and beyond.
"This is a day of great pain for our community," Buffalo Mayor Bryon Brown said.
"Many of us have been to this supermarket many times. We cannot let this hateful person divide our community or our country."
"I grieve for the victims and their families. I grieve for Buffalo. I grieve for the tight-knit community on the East Side. Racism has no place in our state or our country," tweeted the New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who wants to help the city.
"We stand with the people of Buffalo."
I ache for the victims and their families.
I ache for Buffalo.
I ache for the tight-knit East Side community.
Racism has no place in our state or our country.
I've spoken with the Mayor of Buffalo and offered any help we can provide.
We stand with the people of Buffalo.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) May 14, 2022
With AFP and Reuters
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