At least 10 people were killed and several others injured after a man opened fire during a Twitch broadcast at a convenience store in Buffalo, New York, local officials and witnesses said. He also published an online manifesto calling himself a white supremacist.
The incident began early Saturday afternoon when police pursued an active shooter at Tops Markets at 1275 Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo. Upon arrival, police found the victim inside and outside the supermarket.
The exact number of casualties is not known, but officials told The Buffalo News that at least 10 people were killed and three injured, two of them in critical condition. Among the dead was a recently retired Buffalo police officer who worked as a security guard at the store.
A police spokesman confirmed the suspect was in custody, but his identity was not immediately released. A video shared on Facebook showed a man in military uniform being detained. Apparently, he was armed with a semi-automatic rifle.
Screenshots of Saturday’s attack, which was broadcast live on Twitch, showed horrific scenes, including a woman being shot in the head as she walked out of the store. Other screenshots show victims on the supermarket floor.
“It’s like walking into a horror movie, but everything is real. It’s like the end of the world. It’s so overwhelming,” a police officer at the scene told The Buffalo News.
A 106-page online manifesto believed to be uploaded by the shooter explained that he was motivated by a conspiracy theory that white people were being replaced by other races. In the document, he said he was 18 and described himself as a white supremacist and anti-Semitic.
“If I want you to take anything away from these writings, then the white birth rate has to change. The white population is getting smaller every day,” the document said. “In order to maintain a population, people have to achieve birth rates that are close to replacement fertility levels, which in the Western world are about 2.06 children per woman.”
BNO News did not release the documents published by the gunman.
“I’ve been informed of multiple shootings at Tops Markets on Jefferson Street in Buffalo,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said. “Police are on the scene. Please stay out of the area.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hocher said: “I’m closely following the shooting at a Buffalo grocery store. We’ve provided support to local officials. If you’re in Buffalo, avoid the area and listen to law enforcement and advice from local officials.”