At least ten people are dead after a shooting rampage at a supermarket in Buffalo on Saturday afternoon. There were also three people wounded – two of which are in critical condition, according to the Buffalo News. One of the people killed was reportedly a recently retired Buffalo Police Department officer who was working security at the store.
According to law enforcement and witnesses, the gunman shot and killed his victims at the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo. The shooter allegedly opened fire with a rifle in the parking lot and then entered the supermarket and sprayed bullets into the store with shoppers and employees around 2:30 p.m.
The Associated Press reported, “Investigators believe the man may have been livestreaming the shooting and were looking into whether he had posted a manifesto online, the official said.”
The official also told the AP that law enforcement was investigating the possibility that the mass shooting was “racially motivated.” However, the official cautioned that the investigation was in its “preliminary stages” and that authorities had yet to determine a motive.
Police say that the shooting suspect – who has yet to be identified – has been taken into custody.
According to the AP, “Witnesses reported the gunman was wearing military-style clothing and body armor, one of the officials said.”
The Buffalo News also reported that the suspect was wearing body armor.
Witness Braedyn Kephart described the suspect as a white male in his late teens or early 20s, who was wearing full camo and a black helmet.
Kephart told the Associated Press, “He was standing there with the gun to his chin. We were like, ‘What the heck is going on? Why does this kid have a gun to his face?'”
The gunman allegedly dropped to his knees then “ripped off his helmet, dropped his gun, and was tackled by the police,” Kephart said.
At least two rifles have been recovered from the crime scene, law enforcement sources told NBC News.
A Buffalo Police official said, “It’s like walking onto a horror movie, but everything is real. It is Armageddon-like. It is so overwhelming.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote on Twitter: “I am closely monitoring the shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo. We have offered assistance to local officials. If you are in Buffalo, please avoid the area and follow guidance from law enforcement and local officials.”
More details on the Buffalo supermarket shooting can be seen in the video below.
Buffalo shooting: ‘Multiple people’ shot at Tops grocery store, suspect in custody
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Eyewitness describes Buffalo supermarket shooting
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