The 18 year-old suspect arrested for killing 10 people in a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York over the weekend intended to kill more people when he was stopped and surrendered to local police.
The FBI is investigating the attack as a hate crime and racially motivated violent extremism as 11 of the 13 victims shot were Black in a predominantly Black neighbourhood of the city.
Investigators are also examining a 180-page manifesto posted by the suspect Payton Grendon online that took credit for the violence in the name of white supremacy.
Police examine 180 page manifesto posted by Payton Grendon that took credit for the mass killing in the name of white supremacy:
A community in mourning.
The latest mass shooting in the US has been described by the local sheriff as an act of pure evil with President Joe Biden also weighing in.
Biden says, “ I’ve been receiving updates from my team in the White House that’s in close contact with the Department of Justice. We’re still gathering the facts, but already the Justice Department has stated publicly that it is investigating the matter as a hate crime. Racially motivated act of white supremacy and violent extremism.”
“As they do, we must all work together to address the hate that remains a stain on the soul of America. Hearts are heavy once again, but our resolve must never ever waver,” added Biden.
Review of the manifesto allegedly posted by the suspect online shows plans of the attack down to the minute detail and includes diagrams of the supermarket, targeted specifically because the area had the highest concentration of Black people in the region where the suspect lived.
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia, says, “He had tactical gear, he had a tactical helmet on, he had a camera that he was live streaming what he was doing. The individual exited his car and engaged four individuals. He shot four people in the parking lot. Three of those were deceased and one individual at this time is surviving the injury.”
“The individual went inside, as I said an 18 year-old white male, walked into the store and began engaging customers inside the store. One of the individuals inside the store is a beloved security guard, a retired Buffalo police officer, a hero in our eyes, engaged the suspect, fired multiple shots struck the suspect but because he was heavily armed plating on that bullets had no round, the suspect engaged our retired officer and he was ultimately shot and deceased at the scene,” says Gramaglia.
After the massacre at a Buffalo supermarket, police said authorities were examining a 180-page manifesto that accused gunman Payton Gendron appears to have written and posted that outlined the so-called ‘Great Replacement Theory’ https://t.co/FtFd9vtIXn pic.twitter.com/Uw3Tg48d9X
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 17, 2022
“The dead included six women and four men, ages ranging from 32 to 86 with the suspect Grendon arraigned on first degree murder charges with more charges expected to follow.”
The suspect was also investigated last year by New York State Police after reports that he’d made a threatening statement at high school but was later not charged, falling off their radar.
Police are now examining his online manifesto in which he refers to himself as a white supremacist, an anti-semite with details of an attack on a predominately Black neighborhood.
Grendon has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and is due back in court on Thursday.
