Tops Friendly Markets at 1275 Jefferson Avenue.Photo: Google Maps
Ten people were killed in a mass shooting Saturday afternoon at a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y., in what officials described as a racially motivated attack that targeted Black people.
The shooting, in which 13 people were injured, took place at about 2:30 p.m. at Tops Friendly Markets at 1275 Jefferson Avenue, officials said, noting the store is in a predominantly Black neighborhood.
The suspect is an 18-year-old white male who wore tactical gear and a helmet and was “very heavily armed,” Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said at a Saturday press conference. The suspect, who according to officials lives several hours away from Buffalo, livestreamed the shooting.
At the press conference, Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said, “It was, straight up, a racially motivated hate crime.” He added: “This person was pure evil.”
According to Gramaglia, 11 of the 13 victims — including non-fatal victims — were Black,CNN reports. The three victims who survived have injuries that are “non-life-threatening,” Gramaglia said.
The victims have been identified as Roberta A. Drury, 32, Margus D. Morrison, 52, Andre Mackneil, 53, Aaron Salter, Jr., 55, Geraldine Talley, 62, Celestine Chaney, 65, Heyward Patterson, 67, Katherine Massey, 72, Pearl Young, 77, and Ruth Whitfield, 86.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Additionally, Christopher Braden, 55, Jennifer Warrington, 50, and Zaire Goodman, 20, sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the mass shooting. Warrington and Goodman have since been released from medical care.
The gunman exited his car at about 2:30 p.m. and shot four people in the store’s parking lot, three of them fatally, Gramaglia said. He then went inside the store and shot more people.
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Buffalo police who responded to the scene engaged the suspect, who eventually put a gun to his own neck before officers convinced him to drop the weapon, Gramaglia said. At that point, the suspect was taken into custody.
According to Gramaglia, four victims of the attack were store employees and the rest were customers.
Representatives for the BPD and for Tops Friendly Markets did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
In a statement, New York Governor Kathy Hochultweeted, “I am closely monitoring the shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo.”
“We have offered assistance to local officials,” she added. “If you are in Buffalo, please avoid the area and follow guidance from law enforcement and local officials.”
“I have been advised of an active multiple shooting event at the Tops Markets on Jefferson Street in Buffalo. Police are on scene. Please stay away from the area,” he wrote.
This is a developing story.
source: people.com
