Ten people were killed in a racially motivated mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo on Saturday by a suspect in tactical gear who was livestreaming the attack, law enforcement officials said during a news conference.
Here’s what we know so far about the attack:
- How the attack unfolded: Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said the suspect drove to the Tops Friendly Markets store around 2:30 p.m. ET. Wearing tactical gear, he shot four people in the parking lot, Gramaglia said, and then went inside the store, where a security guard engaged him. The suspect shot and killed the guard and then “continued to work his way through the store,” Gramaglia said.
- About the victims: A total of 13 people were shot, 10 fatally, officials said Saturday. Four of the people who were shot were store employees, including the security guard. Out of the 13 victims, 11 are Black while two are White, according to Gramaglia said.
- There’s a hate crime investigation: Saturday’s mass shooting in Buffalo is being investigated as a hate crime, the FBI said. Officials did not elaborate. At a news conference, Stephen Belongia, special agent in charge of the FBI Buffalo field office, said, “We will bring all of the resources of the federal government to bear on this case. This is the number one priority of the Department of Justice, and I can assure the citizens of this community that anything that we can do at the federal level, with this case will be done. And justice will be served for the victims.”
- The shooting was livestreamed: Twitch, the popular livestreaming platform best known for gaming, confirmed on Saturday that the shooting suspect used its platform to stream a live broadcast during the attack. CNN has obtained a portion of the Twitch livestream that shows the shooter pulling up to the market.
- Officials are reviewing a possible manifesto: Two federal law enforcement officials told CNN that investigators are reviewing a purported manifesto posted online in connection with the Buffalo mass shooting probe.
- The suspect was arraigned: The suspect was arraigned Saturday evening in Buffalo City Court Chief Judge Craig Hannah’s courtroom, the judge told CNN. The suspect was charged with first-degree murder, Hannah said.
- What happens next: The suspect’s next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET, the judge said.
Justice Department investigating shooting as a hate crime
The US Department of Justice is investigating Saturday’s shooting in Buffalo “as a hate crime and an act of racially-motivated violent extremism,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement
“The Justice Department is committed to conducting a thorough and expeditious investigation into this shooting and to seeking justice for these innocent victims,” he said in the statement.
Stephen Belongia, special agent in charge of the FBI Buffalo field office, also said the incident was being investigated as a hate crime at an earlier news conference on Saturday.
Suspect arraigned in Buffalo supermarket shooting
From CNN’s Sabrina Shulman and Artemis Moshtaghian
The suspect in the shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, was arraigned Saturday evening, Buffalo City Court Chief Judge Craig Hannah told CNN.
The suspect, identified as Payton Gendron, 18, was charged with first-degree murder and arraigned in Hannah’s courtroom, the judge said.
The suspect’s next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET, Hannah said.
The judge said that the district attorney’s office plans to indict the suspect and add additional charges.
“Justice is already being done, immediately,” Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said at a news conference Saturday night.
“This individual has been arraigned on murder in the first degree, which is the highest charge — murder charge in New York state. It carries with it a sentence of life without parole, the highest punishment we have a New York state. He was remanded. The judge ordered a forensic examination. A felony hearing will now take place in five days. And then the investigation continues.”
Flynn said the judge was called up to arraign the suspect tonight.
“We are now investigating terrorism charges, other murder charges, along with working with our partners in the federal government so that they can perhaps file charges as well. So I assure everyone in this community, justice is being done right now and justice will be done,” Flynn said.