BUFFALO, N.Y. — A gunman opened fire with a rifle Saturday at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in what authorities called a “hate crime and racially motived violent extremism,” killing 10 people and wounding three others before being taken in custody, law enforcement officials said.
Police officials said the gunman opened fire with a rifle at around 2:30 p.m. at Tops Friendly Markets. Investigators believe he may have been streaming the shooting through a camera affixed to his helmet, one of the officials said.
The video showed the gunman pulling up to the front of the store with a rifle on the front seat and then pointing the rifle at people in the parking lot as he exited the vehicle and opening fire, the official said.
According to police, 13 people were shot in total, with three suffering apparent non-life-threatening injuries. Officials say four of the victims were employees. Erie County District Attorney John Flynn says 11 of the victims were African American, while two were white. The ages of the victims have not been released.
According to Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia, four victims were shot in the store’s parking lot, with three succumbing to injuries. Gramaglia says the suspect then went inside the store, and began engaging with those inside. Among those fatally shot was a security guard, who was a recently retired Buffalo police officer.
Gramaglia says police engaged the suspect in the store’s vestibule, at which point he put a gun to his neck own, but surrendered to authorities after officers worked to get him to drop his weapon.
The suspect was identified as Payton Gendron, an 18-year-old white male from Conklin, about 200 miles southeast of Buffalo, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials were not permitted to speak publicly on the matter and did so on the condition of anonymity.
The suspect was being questioned Saturday evening by the FBI, one of the officials said, and was expected to appear in court later Saturday. The suspect is a former student at SUNY Broome.
“What started out as a beautiful day in the city of Buffalo has turned into a terrible day, and one of tremendous heartbreak for every member of our community,” Brown said. “We have suffered a mass shooting with multiple casualties and several people injured. This is the worst nightmare that any community can face.”
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The supermarket is in a predominately Black neighborhood, about 3 miles (5 kilometers) north of downtown Buffalo. The surrounding area is primarily residential, with a Family Dollar store and fire station near the store.
“This is the worst nightmare that any community can face, and we are hurting and we are seething right now,” Brown said. “The depth of pain that families are feeling and that all of us are feeling right now cannot even be explained.”
“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,” Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said.
Braedyn Kephart and Shane Hill, both 20, pulled into the parking lot just as the shooter was exiting. They described him as a white male in his late teens or early twenties sporting full camo, a black helmet and what appeared to be a rifle.
“He was standing there with the gun to his chin. We were like what the heck is going on? Why does this kid have a gun to his face?” Kephart said. He dropped to his knees. “He ripped off his helmet, dropped his gun, and was tackled by the police.”
More than two hours of the shooting, Erica Pugh-Mathews was waiting outside the store, behind the police tape.
“We would like to know the status of my aunt, my mother’s sister. She was in there with her fiance, they separated and went to different aisles,” she said. “A bullet barely missed him. He was able to hide in a freezer but he was not able to get to my aunt and does not know where she is. We just would like word either way if she’s OK.”
Officials say federal, state and local entities are investigating the incident as a hate crime and racially motivated violent extremism, which falls under domestic terrorism.
The streaming service Twitch released a statement Saturday evening on the shooting, as police say the suspect was live streaming the shooting:
“We are devastated to hear about the shooting that took place this afternoon in Buffalo, New York. Our hearts go out to the community impacted by this tragedy. Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy against violence of any kind and works swiftly to respond to all incidents. The user has been indefinitely suspended from our service, and we are taking all appropriate action, including monitoring for any accounts rebroadcasting this content.”
A Twitch spokesperson says the broadcast was live, but there was no known video on demand. The spokesperson says Twitch teams monitor the service for content, and will work with law enforcement as needed.
Tops Friendly Markets released a 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.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that she will be going to Buffalo Saturday night after the shooting.
“Today 10 people were killed in New York by a white supremacist,” Attorney General Letitia James said on Twitter. “I mourn their losses. I resist the hate that took their lives because of the color of their skin. I pray for the day when being Black is not a reason to take our lives.”
At the White House, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden is receiving regular updates on the shooting and its aftermath.
“The president has been briefed by his Homeland Security advisor on the horrific shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., this afternoon. He will continue to receive updates throughout the evening and tomorrow as further information develops,” she said, adding the president and first lady were praying for the victims and their loved ones.
Attorney General Merrick Garland was briefed on the shooting, Justice Department spokesperson Anthony Coley said.
New York State Senator Tim Kennedy released a statement saying the son of a member of his staff was among those shot.
The shooting came little more than a year after a March 2021 attack at a King Soopers grocery in Boulder, Colorado, that killed 10 people. Investigators have not released any information about why they believe the man charged in that attack targeted the supermarket.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
