People shot dead in US supermarket - racist motive?
Created: 05/15/2022Updated: 05/15/2022 00:51
Several people were shot dead in a Buffalo supermarket.
Was the act racially motivated?
© Derek Gee/The Buffalo News/AP/dpa
When the daily trip to the supermarket turns into a nightmare: a gunman opens fire - several people are killed.
The investigators have a terrible suspicion.
New York – A shooter opened fire in the US city of Buffalo and killed at least ten people – the police are investigating, among other things, because of a hate crime.
"We are investigating this incident as both a hate crime and a case of racially motivated violent extremism," an FBI investigator said in Buffalo on Saturday.
The man was taken into custody immediately after the crime on Saturday, Mayor Byron Brown said.
“What started out as a beautiful day in the city of Buffalo has turned into a terrible day.
A day that breaks the heart of every member of our community," Brown said.
The 18-year-old perpetrator was not from the community, the mayor said.
"The shooter traveled hours from outside of this community to commit this crime against the people of Buffalo," Brown said.
The crime happened in and in front of a supermarket.
It was a day when people enjoyed the sunshine and all kinds of happy activities.
Tat streamed live on social media
According to the authorities, the shooter had a camera and was wearing a helmet - he filmed the act and broadcast it live on a social network.
There is "certain evidence" that points to a racist act, it said.
The majority of the victims were black.
According to initial findings, the shooter acted alone.
The supermarket is located several miles north of downtown Buffalo in an area primarily populated by black people.
"Why does a white man come here and shoot in a black supermarket," a local resident said on local television.
Police: crime scene like in the "horror movie"
A police officer described the crime scene in The Buffalo News newspaper: "It's like walking into a horror movie, but it's all real."
The newspaper also quoted a supermarket employee who said he had gone into the cold room shortly before the incident.
"I hid myself.
I just hid.
I didn't want to leave the room," he said.
The host of the local TV station WKBW said, visibly shocked, that her husband had visited the supermarket about an hour before the crime.
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New York State Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on Twitter on Saturday that she was closely monitoring the situation after the incident at a local grocery store.
"If you are in Buffalo, please avoid the area and follow directions from law enforcement and local authorities."
Buffalo is the second largest city in the state after New York.
The city with around 280,000 inhabitants is only a few kilometers away from Niagara Falls.
The falls are a world-renowned tourist attraction.
dpa
