Tops Buffalo Mass Shooting: Facts You Need To Know

by

Information on the May 14 2022 mass shooting at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York.

11 Black People Murdered In Tops Attack. “Police said the attacker shot 11 Black and two white victims before surrendering to authorities in an assault he broadcast on the streaming platform Twitch. Later, he appeared before a judge in a paper medical gown and was arraigned on a murder charge. He pleaded not guilty.” [Guardian]

Video: Tops Shooter Arraigned In Buffalo

Shooter Streamed Attack On Twitch. “The gunman in a mass shooting that killed 10 people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday live-streamed the attack on Twitch, the platform confirmed. “We are devastated to hear about the shooting that took place this afternoon in Buffalo, New York. Our hearts go out to the community impacted by this tragedy. Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy against violence of any kind and works swiftly to respond to all incidents. The user has been indefinitely suspended from our service, and we are taking all appropriate action, including monitoring for any accounts rebroadcasting this content,” Twitch said in a statement provided to Insider.” [Insider]

Police: Shooter Did Recon Before Attack. “The hate-filled shooter who killed 10 at a Buffalo supermarket on Saturday spent the day before doing “reconnaissance” for his sick attack, the city’s top cop said Sunday. “He was in the Buffalo area, he was right in this area the day before,” Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said at a press conference. “We have identified some of the locations that he was at. We know he did some reconnaissance on the area and the store.”” [Daily News]

Police: Shooter Threatened Mass Shooting At His High School. “The 18-year-old gunman accused of killing 10 at a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y., had undergone a mental health evaluation by New York state police after making a school shooting threat last year, authorities said. “The state police responded. They investigated. They interviewed the subject. And they felt at the time it was appropriate to have that individual brought in for a mental health evaluation,” said Buffalo police commissioner Joseph Gramaglia at a press conference Sunday.” [NPR]

Shooter Embraced “Great Replacement” Conspiracy Theory From GOP, Fox News. “That idea, once relegated to the fringe, has gained currency on popular right-wing television programs and in the halls of Congress. The theory, known as the “great replacement,” has turned white nationalism into an international call to arms. The apocalyptic vision has accumulated followers during the coronavirus pandemic, which has deepened political polarization and accelerated the online flow of racist ideology.” [WaPo]

Shooter Bought Gun At Vintage Firearms In Endicott, NY. “Robert Donald of Vintage Firearms in Endicott, NY, told The New York Times he learned from federal agents Saturday night that he had recently sold the 18-year-old suspect a Bushmaster assault weapon. “I knew nothing about it until I got the call from them,” Donald told the outlet. “I couldn’t believe it.”” [NY Post]

Police: Shooter Planned To Continue Rampage After Tops Shootings. “The alleged Buffalo, New York, mass shooting suspect had plans to “continue his rampage” after opening fire at a supermarket, killing 10 people, city Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said Monday. “There was evidence that was uncovered that he had plans, had he gotten out of here, to continue his rampage, and continue shooting people,” he told CNN. “He’d even spoken about possibly going to another store.” [CNN]

FBI Interviewing Shooter’s Parents. “The FBI is interviewing the parents of Payton Gendron, the white supremacist teen who massacred 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket Saturday, law-enforcement sources told The Post. Paul and Pamela Gendron — both civil engineers with the state Department of Transportation — are cooperating with investigators, sources added to AP.” [NY Post]

Biden Calls For Unity To Counter Buffalo Shooter’s Hate. “President Joe Biden on Sunday cited the Buffalo shootings in calling for national unity as a remedy for “the hate that remains a stain on the soul of America” while New York’s governor and the city’s mayor appealed for forceful action from Washington after the latest mass shooting had caused a community to grieve.” [ClickOrlando]

Biden: Buffalo Shooter Was Armed With “Weapons Of War.” “While speaking at an event to honor law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2021, Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden were praying for the victims and their families. “A lone gunman, armed with weapons of war and hate-filled soul, shot and killed 10 innocent people in cold blood at a grocery store on Saturday afternoon,” the president told the crowd outside of the Capitol.” [ABC]

Grandmother, Activist, Retired Cop Among Shooting Victims. “Aaron Salter, a retired Buffalo police officer who worked as a security guard at Tops grocery store, died trying to stop the attack, officials said. He fired at the shooter, but the shot did not penetrate the shooter’s body armor. The shooter then fired back, killing Salter.” [Buzzfeed]

NY Governor: Social Media Needs Warnings For Attacks Like In Buffalo. “In response to Saturday’s mass shooting, New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposed that social media companies establish an algorithm that notifies authorities of concerning content posted to their platforms, referring to the recommendation as a “trigger system. Prior to the shooting, a 180-page manifesto was posted online in which the author identifies himself as Payton Gendron, the 18-year-old suspect. In the document, the author refers to himself as a white supremacist, details conspiracy theories, and outlines plans for the shooting.” [Daily Beast]

Video: Buffalo Residents Hold Vigil At Shooting Site