An 18-year-old white man shot and killed 10 people in a black neighborhood in New York state, which authorities regard as a racially motivated hate crime.
The man, whose name is Payton Gendron, was arrested at the scene – a supermarket in the city of Buffalo.
The suspect entered the shop before he opened fire on Saturday afternoon (14). He broadcast the attack live on social media.
US President Joe Biden condemned the action, which he described as “disgusting”.
“We are investigating this case as a hate crime and racially-based violent extremist case,” said Stephen Belongia of the FBI’s Buffalo office, adding that there is evidence of “racial hatred.”
US broadcaster CBS reported that the attacker hurled racial slurs as he opened fire. He also apparently posted an online manifesto featuring racist language and ideas.
The suspect is believed to have traveled approximately 320 km to reach the black-dominated part of the city. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said a total of 13 people were shot and most of the victims were black.
“He got out of his vehicle. He was heavily armed. He had tactical gear. He had a tactical helmet. He had a camera that broadcast what he was doing,” Gramaglia told reporters.
According to the police commissioner, the suspect was arrested by handing over his gun. He later appeared in court charged with first degree murder.
The three injured victims working at the supermarket were not seriously injured.
Police said a retired police officer working as a security guard tried to shoot the suspect but eventually died.
“This is the worst nightmare any community can face, and we are suffering,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown told reporters. “We cannot allow this hateful person to divide our community or our country.”
Grady Lewis, who witnessed the attack from across the street, told local media he saw the man open fire. “I saw the guy come in, military style, bent over, he just shot people,” he said.
Shonnell Harris, who was working at the store at the time of the attack, told local Buffalo News that he heard more than 70 gunshots as he ran from the building to escape through the back door.
“The store was full. It was the weekend,” he said. “He’s a nightmare.”
Speaking to Buffalo News, a police officer said after the attack: “It’s like stepping into a horror movie, but everything is real. It’s like Armageddon.”
On Saturday afternoon, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the suspect was “a white supremacist committing an act of terrorism.”
While visiting Buffalo, he said it was “a military-style execution aimed only at people who want to buy groceries from a neighborhood store.”
US President Joe Biden said in a statement that he and the First Lady are praying for the victims and their families.
“A race-based hate crime is repugnant to the fabric of this nation,” he said. “We must do everything we can to end terrorism fueled by hatred at home,” he said.
Hate crimes in the US reached a 12-year high in 2020, with more than 10,000 people reporting crimes related to their race, gender, sexuality, religion or disability. According to FBI figures, crimes against Asian Americans, and especially blacks, increased that year.
But these numbers can be underestimated, as police are not required to submit hate crime data to the FBI.
Saturday’s shooting in Buffalo is the worst incident of its kind ever in the US this year and will further inflame the already heated political battle over US gun control.
About 40,000 deaths per year involve firearms in the United States, a number that includes suicides.
source: Noticias
