Biden classifies Buffalo attack as racially motivated domestic terrorism

The 18-year-old man blamed for the shooting death of 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket Saturday afternoon was motivated by hatred, officials said. In a statement, President Joe Biden called the crime domestic terrorism.

“Any act of domestic terrorism, including an act perpetrated in the name of a disgusting white nationalist ideology, is antithetical to everything we stand for in America,” reads the statement released by the White House.

Tops Friendly Market, where the shooting took place, is located in the heart of Buffalo’s black community. Eleven of the thirteen people shot by the white suspect were black, officials said.

“That was pure evil,” Erie County Sheriff John C. Garcia told a news conference Saturday, calling the shooting a “racially motivated hate crime by someone outside our community.”

The US Department of Justice is investigating the shooting “as a hate crime and racially motivated act of violent extremism,” according to a statement from US Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Payton Gendron, of Conklin, New York, was charged with first-degree murder on Saturday, Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn said in a press release. Conklin is about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Buffalo.

The accused pleaded not guilty.

Here’s what we know about the person accused of the massacre.

He was wearing tactical gear

Authorities say that when the suspect arrived at the store around 2:30 pm, he was heavily armed, wearing tactical gear, a helmet and had a camera that broadcast his actions live.

The suspect used an assault weapon, Flynn said during the press conference. Subsequently, New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirmed that the AR-15 rifle used by Payton had been legally purchased.

In his press release, Flynn said the suspect shot four people outside the supermarket, three fatally. When he entered the store, he exchanged fire with an armed security guard, who authorities said was a retired Buffalo police officer.

The security guard died from his injuries. The suspect shot eight more people at the store, six of whom died, the statement said.

He allegedly streamed live on Twitch

Popular live streaming platform Twitch confirmed Saturday that the shooting suspect used its platform to broadcast a live stream during the attack.

The company said it was “devastated” to learn of the shooting and added that the user “has been suspended indefinitely from our service and we are taking all appropriate steps, including monitoring any accounts that relay such content.”

A Twitch spokesperson said the company removed the live stream less than two minutes after the violence began. The company did not immediately respond to follow-up questions about whether the suspect was actively shooting when the live stream was interrupted.

THE CNN obtained a portion of the live stream that shows the alleged shooter arriving at a Tops store.

The video is recorded from the alleged shooter’s point of view as he enters the supermarket parking lot. The person is seen in the rearview mirror wearing a helmet and is heard saying, “I just have to go ahead”, before stopping in front of the store.

In the video, shoppers can be seen walking through the parking lot as the suspect arrives.

Alleged manifesto talks about ‘downsizing’ of white population

Investigators were on Saturday reviewing an alleged 180-page manifesto that was posted online in connection with the investigation into the shooting, two federal law enforcement sources told CNN .

The manifest, obtained independently by the CNN shortly after the attack and before authorities released the suspect’s name, it is allegedly written by a person claiming to be Payton Gendron confessing to the attack.

The manifesto’s author says he bought ammunition for some time but didn’t get serious about planning the attack until January. The author also talks about his perceptions about the decrease in the size of the white population and claims for ethnic and cultural replacement of whites, including miscegenation.

A part of the document is written in the form of questions and answers. The author of the manifesto attributes most of his beliefs to the internet and describes himself as fascist, white supremacist and anti-Semitic.

He will likely face more accusations

Gendron was indicted Saturday night before Buffalo City Court Chief Judge Craig Hannah on a first-degree murder charge, the district attorney’s press release said.

He pleaded not guilty, Hannah told CNN . If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, the statement said.

And there could be more accusations coming, officials said.

“My office is working closely with the US Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners on potential terrorism and hate crimes. This is an active investigation and additional charges may be filed,” Flynn said in a statement.

Gendron is expected to return to court on the morning of May 19 for a criminal hearing, the statement said. He will remain in custody without bail, he added.

Accused “was under surveillance” by medical authorities

The suspect in the Buffalo mass shooting was being monitored by “medical officials” ahead of Saturday’s attack, which killed 10 people, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.

Asked if the suspect was on police radar, Hochul said: “As was a high school student regarding something he wrote in high school and was under surveillance by medical authorities at the time.”

“But I will investigate this very question. I want to know what people knew, and when they knew it, and appeal to our law enforcement authorities and our social media platforms,” she added.

*with input from Samantha Beech of CNN

Source: CNN Brasil

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