Biden will meet with families of Buffalo shooting victims on Tuesday

US President Joe Biden will travel to Buffalo, New York, this Tuesday (17) to meet with the families of the 10 victims of the racially motivated mass shooting that took place at a city supermarket last Saturday (14). ), informed the White House this Sunday (15).

Biden told reporters earlier on Sunday that he had “not yet” spoken to the victims’ families and was “trying to work out the schedule” for taking a trip to the area. He also spoke by phone with Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Sunday.

The president expressed condolences to the families during his speech at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service and said he was receiving regular information from his staff about the case.

“We are still gathering the facts, but the Department of Justice has publicly stated that it is investigating the matter as a hate crime, racially motivated act of white supremacy and violent extremism. the hatred that remains a stain on America’s soul. Our hearts are heavy once again, but our resolve must never waver,” the president said on Sunday.

The 18-year-old suspected of opening fire at a Tops supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood told authorities he was targeting the black community, according to an official familiar with the investigation.

The alleged shooter made disturbing statements outlining his motive and state of mind following his arrest, the official said. He traveled from another New York county hours away and streamed the attack live on the Twitch platform.

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

The FBI is assisting in the investigation, Stephen Belongia, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Buffalo field office, said at a news conference after the shooting.

Saturday’s Buffalo massacre is the latest mass shooting in which authorities said the suspect was motivated by hatred, including attacks on a Walmart in Texas; to a synagogue in Pittsburgh; to a church in South Carolina, and to a nightclub in Orlando.

Biden condemned the Buffalo shooting in a statement Saturday night.

“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,” he said. “Hate must not have a safe harbor. We must do everything in our power to end domestic hate-fueled terrorism.”