Buffalo supermarket shooting: What do we know so far?

BUFFALO, NY (AP) – On Saturday afternoon, an armed gunman attacked shoppers and workers at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket, killing 10 people and injuring three others. Most of the victims were black. Officials said they were investigating the shooting as a racially motivated hate crime.

A look back at what we know so far:

WHAT HAPPENED?

An 18-year-old white man in military uniform and live-streaming with a helmet-mounted camera opened fire on Saturday afternoon at the Tops Friendly Market. It was a supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York.

The gunman streamed the shooting to a small audience on Twitch for several minutes before the platform cut his feed.

According to police, the gunman opened fire in the parking lot and then moved inside the store. Security guard Aaron Salter fired several times, but none penetrated the gunman’s armor. The gunman killed Salter and then stalked through the aisles, shooting shoppers.

When police encountered the gunman in the store’s lobby, he held the gun to his neck, but surrendered and let go of the gun with the coaxing of the officers.

WHO IS GUNMAN PAUSED?

Police have identified the gunman as Payton Gendron of Conklin, New York. Conklin is a small town about 200 miles (320 km) southeast of Buffalo, not far from the Pennsylvania state line.

Officials said the rifle Gendron used in the attack was purchased legally, but the magazines he used to make ammunition are not allowed to be sold in New York.

After the shooting, Gedron appeared before the judge in a paper suit and was charged with murder.

A widely circulated document online appears to outline Gedron’s racist, anti-immigrant, and anti-disease beliefs. Among them was the desire to bring all non-Europeans to America. The document appears to be inspired by the gunman who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019.

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Sunday that Gedron threatened to carry out a shooting last year at Susquehanna Valley High School around the time of graduation. He was 17 years old at the time and was admitted to psychiatric treatment. The law enforcement official was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation and did so on condition of anonymity.

WHO ARE?

Police have not released the names of most of the victims. They said that, including the injured, 11 of the victims were Black and two were white.

Those killed included Aaron Salter, a retired Buffalo police officer who was working as a security guard at the store. Salter fires multiple shots at the attacker, striking him at least once. Officials said he was a hero who saved lives by running towards danger. One local said he cares about the community and looks after the store.

Ruth Whitfield, 86, is picking up groceries after visiting her husband at the nursing home, as she does every day. She is the mother of retired Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield, who told The Buffalo News she was “a motherless mother” and “a blessing to all of us”. Whitfield attributes her mother’s strength and commitment to her family to her strong religious faith.

Sister Barbara Massey said Katherine Massey was “a beautiful spirit” who was killed while shopping.

Among the wounded was Zaire Goodman, the son of an employee of State Senator Tim Kennedy. Kennedy said the 20-year-old was shot in the neck but is recovering.

WHAT DO THE AUTHORS SAY ABOUT MOTIVATION?

At a news conference Saturday, Erie County Sheriff John Garcia called the shooting a hate crime.

“This is a complete crime. Garcia said.

The FBI is investigating the shooting as both a hate crime and racially motivated violent extremism.

Authorities declined to comment on the document purporting to show the attackers had racist, anti-immigrant and anti-immigrant beliefs.