Shooting at buffaloes: at least 10 killed in supermarket

BUFFALA, NY – A gunman in military-style clothing and body armor opened fire with a rifle at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing at least 10 people before being taken into custody Saturday afternoon, Associated Press officials said. law enforcement.

Details of the number of additional people shot at Tops Friendly Market and their terms were not immediately available. Two officials were not allowed to speak publicly on the issue and did so on condition of anonymity. An official said the suspect was questioned Saturday night by the FBI.

At a news conference, officials said they were investigating the attack as a possible hate crime, calling the alleged shooter a “violent extremist.” Police said the suspect was an 18-year-old white man who was not from Buffalo and had been driving for hours from another New York County.

Police at the press conference added that as a result of the attack, three people also received non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators believe the gunman could have broadcast the shooting through a camera attached to his helmet, one official said. The video shows an armed man dressed in military gear approaching the store with a rifle in the front seat and then pointing the rifle at people in the parking lot as he gets out of the car and opens fire, the official said.

It also shows the suspect walking into a supermarket and shooting several other victims inside, the official said. According to the official, one of the victims was a recently retired police officer who worked as a security guard at a store.

The supermarket is located in a predominantly black area, about 3 miles (5 kilometers) north of downtown Buffalo. The surrounding area is mostly residential, next to the Family Dollar store and the fire department.

Buffalo police confirmed that the shooter is in custody on Twitter, but did not identify the suspect. Police officials did not immediately respond to the AP’s request for comment.

Witnesses say the gunman in addition to the body armor was dressed in military-style clothing, said one official

Bradin Kefart and Shane Hill, both 20, drove into the parking lot just as the shooter was leaving. They described him as a white man in his teens or twenties with full camouflage, a black helmet and what seemed like a rifle.

“He was standing with a gun to his chin. We thought what the hell was going on? Why does this child have a gun to his face? “Said Caphart. He dropped to his knees.” He tore off his helmet, dropped his gun, and the police took him up. “

At the White House, spokeswoman Caryn Jean-Pierre said that President Joe Biden regularly receives information about the shooting and its consequences.

“The president was briefed by his national security adviser on the horrific shooting in Buffalo, New York, this afternoon. He will continue to receive updates throughout the evening and tomorrow as further information develops, ”she said, adding that the president and first lady are praying for the victims and their loved ones.

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Tops Friendly Markets issued a statement saying: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence, and our thoughts and prayers with the victims and their families.”

Police closed the neighborhood, lined up spectators, and yellow police taped the entire parking lot. Mayor Byron Brown and Eri County Governor Mark Palancarts were at the scene late Saturday night, gathered in the parking lot across the street from the Tops store and waited for a media appeal.

More than two hours of filming Eric Pew-Matthews waited near the store, behind the police tape.

“We would like to know the status of my aunt, my mother’s sister. She was there with her fiancé, they parted ways and went through different aisles, ”she said. – The bullet barely missed him. He was able to hide in the freezer, but he couldn’t get to my aunt and didn’t know where she was. We just want to say anyway if she’s okay. “

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Governor Katie Hochul wrote on Twitter that she was “closely monitoring the shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo,” her hometown. She said government officials offered to help local authorities. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office said on social media that it had ordered all available staff to assist Buffalo police.

Attorney General Merrick Garland was briefed on the shooting, Justice Department spokesman Anthony Collie said.

The shooting came just over a year after the March 2021 attack on the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, killing 10 people. Investigators have not released any information as to why they believe the man accused of the attack targeted a supermarket.

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Associated Press reporters John Wavrow of Buffalo and Eric Tucker of Washington contributed to the report. Balsamo reported from Washington and Collins from Hartford, Connecticut.

Diego Mendoza of TEGNA contributed to this report.