The Most Recent Information on the White Supremacist Attack in Buffalo

In Buffalo's worst mass shooting, a white supremacist targeted a Black neighborhood, killing ten people. An 18-year-old gunman from Conklin, New York, drove 200 miles, donned tactical body armor, and entered a Tops Friendly Markets grocery store in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday. He killed ten individuals and injured three others. According to officials, eleven of the victims were black and two were white. The attacker, who live-streamed the crime, said his actions were driven by his hatred of Black people, down to targeting Buffalo's majority-Black East Side. It's being investigated as a racially motivated hate crime by the FBI. The gunman had a racist insult and the number 14, a prominent white supremacy allusion, painted on his weapon. President Joe Biden issued a statement condemning the massacre, calling it "a racially motivated hate crime abhorrent to the fundamental core of this nation."

At a Saturday evening arraignment, the suspect was charged with first-degree murder, to which he pled not guilty. "We are now exploring terrorism charges, additional murder charges, as well as working with our partners in the federal government so that they can potentially file charges as well," Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said.

Other hate-fueled gun violence is linked to the racist "great replacement" conspiracy myth. Along with anti-Black and anti-Semitism, the shooter's racist manifesto advocated the "great replacement" ideology, which claims that white people are being deliberately replaced in communities around the world. The suspect claimed that the Christchurch tragedy in New Zealand in 2019, in which 51 Muslim worshipers were slain in two mosque shootings, inspired him the most. Its perpetrator advocated for "great replacement" ideas as well. The El Paso Walmart attack in 2019 that targeted persons of Mexican heritage, as well as the anti-Semitic synagogues attacks in Pittsburgh in 2018 and Poway, California, in 2019, all had similar intentions. In recent years, versions of the philosophy that started among the white nationalist far-right have become increasingly mainstream. One-third of Americans believe there is a politically driven push to replace native-born Americans with immigrants, according to a new Associated Press–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.

A community is grieving. On Sunday, crowds gathered outside the shop for a vigil, while others gathered at churches to grieve and honor the attack's victims and demand justice. "White supremacy must be taken seriously, and we must be able to oppose it and speak out against it." Also, question its many manifestations in terms of uneven economic policies that represent our communities," urged Reverend Peter Cook at the Macedonia Baptist Church after an ecumenical service. Decades of discrimination have formed the Buffalo area where the incident occurred. According to local news agencies, the neighborhood lobbied hard for the Tops supermarket to open in 2003 because the area had long been without fresh food options. "We don't want to be protected after the fact," said Marlene Brown, 58, who lives just a few blocks from the attack site. "Without a white supremacist shooting up our community, we want to be protected and treated as though we matter."

The shooter is claimed to have utilized a semiautomatic pistol that he lawfully purchased in New York but illegally modified. In Endicott, New York, the gunman bought a Bushmaster XM-15, which matched the description of the weapon he used. However, he claimed in online posts that he illegally modified the rifle to allow it to utilize a high-capacity magazine. Governor Kathy Hochul of New York stated the high-capacity magazine used in the incident was not legally bought in the state. Two more long guns were found in the perpetrator's car, according to police. While pistol permits are not available to anyone under the age of 21, long guns (rifles and shotguns) are available to people starting at the age of 16 and can be acquired starting at the age of 18. Following the shooting, both Hochul and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown advocated for tighter gun legislation.

According to police, the shooter had previously been investigated. The suspect was arrested by the State Police in June for reportedly making generic threats regarding classmates, according to the Buffalo Police Commissioner. He was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation and released just over a day later. A government official acquainted with the issue said, "A school official reported that this very troubled young guy had made statements indicating that he meant to do a shooting, either at a graduation ceremony or shortly after."

Several additional mass shootings occurred this weekend, including one in a California church. A gunman opened fire at a Tawainese congregation in Laguna Woods, California, on Sunday afternoon, killing one person and wounding five others. According to authorities, all five victims were Asian adults, and the assailant was an Asian male in his 60s who did not live in the region. Before the police arrived, churchgoers tackled the shooter, tied him up with an extension cable, and confiscated his weapons. "We feel the group of churchgoers demonstrated outstanding gallantry and bravery," Undersheriff Jeff Hallock stated. Three shootings occurred in Milwaukee's downtown entertainment district on Friday night, injuring 21 people, including 17 in one event.

An anti-Asian hate crime investigation has been launched into a shooting in Dallas. Three women of Korean heritage were shot and injured at a hair salon on Wednesday. Following fresh information, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia stated on Friday that the city was now investigating hate as a possible motive. Police suspect the shooting is linked to two previous Dallas shootings that also occurred at Asian-American businesses, according to him. In such occurrences, no one was hurt.

Point of Information

The Buffalo incident ranks 12th among the deadliest mass shootings in the United States since the Gun Violence Archive began counting them in 2013. At least 198 mass shootings — defined as situations in which four or more people are injured — have occurred in the United States this year, with 210 people killed. [Archive of Gun Violence]