Buffalo shooting: 10 shot dead in ‘racially motivated’ livestreamed attack in New York state supermarket

According to police, an 18-year-old white man shot dead at least 10 people in an attack in Buffalo, New York and livestreamed the shooting.

It is the 14th fatal mass shooting in the US this month and the deadliest mass shooting in the country to take place this year.

The shooting took place at Tops Friendly Markets in a mostly black neighbourhood on 14 May.

Police said that the man was wearing military gear and used a helmet camera to film the killing.

Livestreamed killing

The gunman broadcast the shooting, in which he targeted mostly black shoppers, live on streaming platform Twitch for at least two minutes before the service ended his transmission.

The suspected gunman has been named as Payton Gendron, from Conklin, a town in the state of New York roughly 200 miles from Buffalo.

Police said he shot 11 black and two who white victims before surrendering to police.

It has been reported that he shot four people outside the store, three fatally before entering the store and firing on those inside.

Security guard Aaron Salter, who was a retired Buffalo police officer, fired multiple shots, hitting the gunman once.

But he was wearing a bulletproof vest and it had no effect - the gunman then killed Salter before targeting other victims.

When he was confronted, the gunman held his weapon to his own neck but police talked him into dropping the weapon and apprehended him.

Later he appeared before a judge in a paper medical gown and was arraigned on first degree murder charges.

Racially motivated attack

The shooting has been called a hate crime by Erie County Sheriff John Garcia.

Additionally, US broadcaster CBS reported that the gunman shouted racial slurs during the attack and that a racial slur was written on his weapon.

Stephen Belongia, from the FBI’s Buffalo office, said: "We are investigating this incident as both a hate crime and a case of racially-motivated violent extremism."

New York governor Kathy Hochul said: “It is my sincere hope that this individual, this white supremacist who just perpetrated a hate crime on an innocent community, will spend the rest of his days behind bars. And heaven help him in the next world as well.”

President Joe Biden responds to Buffalo shooting

US President Joe Biden issued a statement in response to the shooting in which he commended the bravery of first responders.

Biden said: “Tonight, we grieve for the families of ten people whose lives were senselessly taken and everyone who is suffering the physical and emotional wounds of this horrific shooting.

“We are grateful for the bravery of members of law enforcement and other first responders who took immediate action to try to protect and save lives.

“The First Lady and I are praying for the victims and their families, and hearts all across this country are with the people of Buffalo.”