The suspect in the Saturday night mass shooting in Buffalo reportedly traveled from another New York county hours away to perpetrate the attack, authorities say.
“The shooter traveled hours from outside this community to perpetrate this crime on the people of Buffalo, a day when people were enjoying the sunshine, enjoying family, enjoying friends,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said at press conference on Saturday night. “People in a supermarket, shopping and bullets raining down on them. People’s lives being snuffed out in an instant for no reason.”
Erie County DA John Flynn made a similar statement revealing more details.
“This is a tragic day in the City of Buffalo. This defendant is accused of traveling to our area and targeting innocent people who were shopping for their groceries on a Saturday afternoon. I continue to pray for all affected by this horrific crime. I am committed to obtaining justice for the victims, their families and this community. My office is working closely with the U.S. Attorney's Office and our partners in law enforcement into potential terrorism and hate crimes. This is an active investigation and additional charges may be filed,” Flynn said.
Payton Gendron, an 18-year-old white man, allegedly stormed a supermarket in an African-American Buffalo neighborhood and open-fired both outside and inside the store, killing ten people and wounding three others. Eleven of the thirteen people shot were African American while two victims were white, Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia confirmed at a briefing Saturday.
Gendron has been charged with first-degree murder, to which he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Saturday evening, Buffalo City Court Chief Judge Craig Hannah told CNN. The district attorney’s office also intends to indict Gendron and bring additional charges, he said.
New York City police have increased patrols and are on alert “out of an abundance of caution,” but the NYPD told Fox News that investigators have not determined any “threat to New York City” as a consequence of the Buffalo assault.
The FBI, however, is probing the incident as both a hate crime and a case of racially motivated violent extremism, Stephen Belongia, FBI special agent in charge of the Buffalo field office, told CNN.
Around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, the suspect allegedly drove to Tops Friendly Markets on Jefferson Avenue near Riley Street in Buffalo “with the intent to commit a crime,” a statement from the Erie County DA office read. Gendron, allegedly wearing protecting tactical gear and armed with an assault weapon, approached several people in the parking lot before firing. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told CNN that Gendron also had a tactical helmet on and a camera to livestream.
The suspect then allegedly entered the store and exchanged gunfire with an armed security guard, a retired member of the Buffalo Police Department, who was fatally injured, before he continued shooting customers at random inside.
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