At least 10 dead in mass shooting at Buffalo supermarket

14 May 2022, 23:24

Buffalo-Supermarket-Shooting
Buffalo-Supermarket-Shooting. Picture: PA

The gunman entered the supermarket with a rifle and opened fire, one of the officials said.

At least 10 people were killed on Saturday in a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

A US attorney has said the FBI is investigating the shooting as both a hate crime and racially motivated violent extremism.

It comes as the mayor of Buffalo mayor said the suspect “travelled hours” to supermarket where 13 were shot, 10 fatally.

Details on the number of additional people shot at the Tops Friendly Market and their conditions were not immediately available.

Buffalo police said earlier on Saturday afternoon that the alleged shooter, who was not identified, was in custody.

The two officials were not permitted to speak publicly on the matter and did so on the condition of anonymity.

Buffalo Supermarket Shooting
Police investigate after a shooting at a supermarket (Joshua Bessex/AP)

Police officials and a spokesperson for the supermarket chain did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The gunman entered the supermarket with a rifle and opened fire, one of the officials said. Investigators believe the man may have been live-streaming the shooting and are looking into whether he had posted a manifesto online, the official said.

The official cautioned the investigation was in its preliminary stages and that authorities had not yet discerned a clear motive, but are investigating whether the shooting was racially motivated.

The supermarket is in a predominately black neighbourhood, about three miles north of central Buffalo.

Witnesses reported the gunman was wearing military-style clothing and body armour, one of the officials said.

Braedyn Kephart and Shane Hill, both 20, pulled into the car park just as the shooter was exiting. They described him as a white male in his late teens or early twenties sporting full camo, a black helmet and what appeared to be a rifle.

“He was standing there with the gun to his chin. We were like what the heck is going on? Why does this kid have a gun to his face?” Mr Kephart said. He dropped to his knees. “He ripped off his helmet, dropped his gun, and was tackled by the police.”

Police closed off the block, lined by spectators, and yellow police tape surrounded the car park.

Mayor Byron Brown and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz were at the scene late on Saturday afternoon, gathered in a car park across the street from the Tops store and expected to address the media.

Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted that she was “closely monitoring the shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo”, her hometown. She said state officials have offered help to local authorities.

The Erie County Sheriff’s Office said on social media that it ordered all available personnel to assist Buffalo police.

By Press Association

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

Music-Green Day UN

Green Day to headline UN-backed global climate concert

Israel Palestinians Britain Aid

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza

Sam Bankman-Fried

FTX founder Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for crypto fraud

Israel Palestinians UN Security Council

Russia ‘abolishes’ monitoring of sanctions on North Korea with UN veto

France Valentino

Former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele named Valentino creative director

Russia Shooting

Russia arrests another suspect in concert hall attack that killed 143

American Easter egg

White House’s annual Easter egg roll to be attended by 40,000 people

Barbers in Paris

Proposal to ban discrimination over a person’s hair passes first legal hurdle

Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian Authority names new government following pressure to reform

Arvind Kejriwal

Opposition leader Kejriwal locked up for further four days, court rules

Resident clears rubble from home

Russia wears down Ukrainian defences with missile and drone attacks

Pope Francis

Pope urges priests to avoid ‘clerical hypocrisy’ in Maundy Thursday speech

Wagner mercenaries

Wagner mercenaries helping to kill civilians in Mali, say human rights groups

Rescuers searching through rubble

Paramedics among 16 people killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon

Hairdressers in Paris

French legislators ponder law to ban discrimination based on a person’s hair

Australian products in Shanghai

China ends tariffs on Australian wine as relations between countries thaw