Another racist killing. Ten people were killed this Saturday, May 14 in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York (northeast of the country), when a gunman opened fire, announced the local daily The Buffalo News, citing law enforcement sources.
“Ten people were killed by an armed man wearing a bulletproof vest and armed with a high-powered rifle, and three other people were injured, two of them very seriously,” the newspaper said, quoting a police official. at the scene of the tragedy and another source close to the police.
On Twitter, Buffalo police said the assailant had been arrested. Prosecuted for “premeditated murder”, he was imprisoned. It is an 18-year-old white male, heavily armed. He was equipped with an assault weapon, a bulletproof vest, military-style clothing, a helmet and a camera to broadcast his crime live on the Internet.
BREAKING: BPD on scene of a mass shooting at the Tops in the 1200 block of Jefferson Avenue. Police say multiple people have been struck by gunfire. The shooter is in custody. Motorists and residents are urged to avoid the area.
—Buffalo Police Dept (@BPDAlerts) May 14, 2022
A racially motivated crime
The attack is “a hate crime and racially motivated” perpetrated by “evil incarnate,” blasted Erie County Sheriff John Garcia.
“Hate crime” in the United States refers to an act directed against a targeted person because of elements of their identity such as race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or disability.
Considered an aggravated federal offence, it carries harsher sentences. Asked if the shooter faced the death penalty at the federal level, the local representative of the prosecution of the United States Department of Justice replied that “all options were on the table”.
Crime streamed on Twitch
The assailant, who was carrying a camera, began to broadcast his crime on the Twitch platform, which declared itself “devastated” and promised “zero tolerance against all forms of violence”.
According to the social network, the content was deleted “two minutes” after it began to be broadcast, the attacker’s account was “permanently suspended” and “all accounts likely to repost this content are under surveillance”. American media also mentioned a racist “manifesto” posted on the internet.
According to the New York Times, citing this “manifesto”, the suspect was “inspired” by crimes committed by white supremacists, including the 2019 massacre of 51 worshipers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
