A man writes in the street on Monday near the site of Saturday's mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y. Ten people were killed and three were injured.
Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo
May 16 (UPI) -- The 18-year-old man who was arrested over the weekend for killing 10 people in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., would have continued his rampage if he hadn't been stopped by authorities, the city's police commissioner said on Monday.
The accused shooter, Payton Gendron, has been charged with murder in the attack Saturday that police say was "racially motivated." Eleven of the 13 victims were Black.
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told Good Morning America on Monday that Gendron was planning to continue the gunfire at another store nearby.
"It appeared that his plans were to drive out of here and continue driving down Jefferson Avenue looking to shoot more Black people as he could and possibly go to another store location," Gramaglia said.
May 16 (UPI) -- The 18-year-old man who was arrested over the weekend for killing 10 people in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., would have continued his rampage if he hadn't been stopped by authorities, the city's police commissioner said on Monday.
The accused shooter, Payton Gendron, has been charged with murder in the attack Saturday that police say was "racially motivated." Eleven of the 13 victims were Black.
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told Good Morning America on Monday that Gendron was planning to continue the gunfire at another store nearby.
"It appeared that his plans were to drive out of here and continue driving down Jefferson Avenue looking to shoot more Black people as he could and possibly go to another store location," Gramaglia said.
Officials have said that Gendron traveled about 200 miles to Buffalo on Friday and "did some reconnaissance on the area and the store" before committing the "absolute racist hate crime."
In a lengthy manifesto that's been attributed to Gendron, he details plans for the attack and makes numerous racist and anti-immigrant remarks. Some outlets have reported that Gendron was fueled by a far-right conspiracy theory known as the "Great Replacement" -- which claims that American leaders are seeking to replace White people with communities of color.
The Tops Grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y., is seen on Sunday -- one day after a mass shooting there killed 10 people. The accused shooter is an 18-year-old White man who police believe specifically targeted Black victims.
Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI
Gramaglia told reporters Sunday that Gendron had contact with police last year after he'd made "generalized threats" at his high school in Conklin, N.Y.
Students at Susquehanna Valley High School also told The New York Times that he'd exhibited odd behavior before graduation last year, which included wearing a full Hazmat suit when in-person classes resumed -- which was interpreted as a dramatic display against COVID-19 safety measures and restrictions.
One described Gendron as intelligent, but said he'd become increasingly less social since elementary school.
"He was always very quiet and never much said anything," Cassaundra Williams said according to the Times.
Other students described Gendron as a loner who sometimes made them feel "uncomfortable" -- while another said she was close to the accused shooter and described him as "sweet" and "kind."
Since the attack on Saturday, relatives have since started to come forward to identify victims.
Of those killed in the attack, six were shoppers and four were employees of the grocery store -- including Aaron Salter Jr., a retired Buffalo police officer who worked there as a security guard.
The family of an autistic employee who was injured, Zaire Goodman, told The Buffalo News that he was shot at close range before Gendron killed a woman he was helping with her cart.
"A couple inches to the left or the right and he wouldn't be here," said Goodman's mom, Zeneta Everhart, according to the News.
"I know his life was spared for a reason, and he has to find out what that reason is."
Gramaglia told reporters Sunday that Gendron had contact with police last year after he'd made "generalized threats" at his high school in Conklin, N.Y.
Students at Susquehanna Valley High School also told The New York Times that he'd exhibited odd behavior before graduation last year, which included wearing a full Hazmat suit when in-person classes resumed -- which was interpreted as a dramatic display against COVID-19 safety measures and restrictions.
One described Gendron as intelligent, but said he'd become increasingly less social since elementary school.
"He was always very quiet and never much said anything," Cassaundra Williams said according to the Times.
Other students described Gendron as a loner who sometimes made them feel "uncomfortable" -- while another said she was close to the accused shooter and described him as "sweet" and "kind."
Since the attack on Saturday, relatives have since started to come forward to identify victims.
Of those killed in the attack, six were shoppers and four were employees of the grocery store -- including Aaron Salter Jr., a retired Buffalo police officer who worked there as a security guard.
The family of an autistic employee who was injured, Zaire Goodman, told The Buffalo News that he was shot at close range before Gendron killed a woman he was helping with her cart.
"A couple inches to the left or the right and he wouldn't be here," said Goodman's mom, Zeneta Everhart, according to the News.
"I know his life was spared for a reason, and he has to find out what that reason is."
A Buffalo SWAT team member stands guard at the site of a mass shooting on Saturday at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y.
Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI
Everhart, director of diversity and inclusion in state Sen. Tim Kennedy's office, said her son has returned home after he was treated at a hospital.
The family of 86-year-old victim Ruth Elizabeth Whitfield has retained renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump in anticipation of a possible lawsuit, he said in a statement posted to Twitter.
"We witnessed the deadliest mass shooting of 2022, perpetrated by a self-proclaimed white supremacist who set out to do one thing: kill Black people," Crump wrote.
Crump said he's partnered with other attorneys to thoroughly investigate the shooting.
"These grieving families deserve to know how a white supremacist, so vocal about his hatred, was able to carry out a premeditated and targeted act of terrorism against Black people - all while armed with an assault rifle fitted with a high-capacity magazine," he added.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement after the shooting that the Justice Department would investigate the shooting as a hate crime and an "act of racially-motivated violent extremism."
President Joe Biden condemned the attack after it occurred Saturday and will travel to Buffalo with first lady Jill Biden on Tuesday to meet with families of the victims and the community, the White House said.
Officials with Tops Markets told The Buffalo News that the site of the shooting will remain closed, but will reopen when investigators are finished and the company has provided counseling and support to employees.
The store's closure means that some residents might have difficulty getting groceries, as they don't have any way to get to a store that's farther away. Tops Markets told the News that it's working to arrange a free bus shuttle to help those residents
Buffalo mourns mass shooting at grocery store
A group prays in the street on Sunday near the site of the mass shooting on Saturday at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y.
Everhart, director of diversity and inclusion in state Sen. Tim Kennedy's office, said her son has returned home after he was treated at a hospital.
The family of 86-year-old victim Ruth Elizabeth Whitfield has retained renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump in anticipation of a possible lawsuit, he said in a statement posted to Twitter.
"We witnessed the deadliest mass shooting of 2022, perpetrated by a self-proclaimed white supremacist who set out to do one thing: kill Black people," Crump wrote.
Crump said he's partnered with other attorneys to thoroughly investigate the shooting.
"These grieving families deserve to know how a white supremacist, so vocal about his hatred, was able to carry out a premeditated and targeted act of terrorism against Black people - all while armed with an assault rifle fitted with a high-capacity magazine," he added.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement after the shooting that the Justice Department would investigate the shooting as a hate crime and an "act of racially-motivated violent extremism."
President Joe Biden condemned the attack after it occurred Saturday and will travel to Buffalo with first lady Jill Biden on Tuesday to meet with families of the victims and the community, the White House said.
Officials with Tops Markets told The Buffalo News that the site of the shooting will remain closed, but will reopen when investigators are finished and the company has provided counseling and support to employees.
The store's closure means that some residents might have difficulty getting groceries, as they don't have any way to get to a store that's farther away. Tops Markets told the News that it's working to arrange a free bus shuttle to help those residents
Buffalo mourns mass shooting at grocery store
A group prays in the street on Sunday near the site of the mass shooting on Saturday at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y.
Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo
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