On 14th May 2022, a tragedy shook the city of Buffalo, New York. It was a bright, sunny day, and the Tops Friendly Markets grocery store on Jefferson Avenue was bustling with people going about their daily business. But in just a few short minutes, everything changed.
At around 2:30 p.m. EDT, 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron arrived at the store. He was heavily armed with an AR-15-style Bushmaster XM-15 rifle, modified to accommodate larger magazines, and several 30-round ammunition magazines. He also had a Mossberg 500 shotgun and a Savage Arms Axis XP shooting rifle in his vehicle. Gendron was wearing a military helmet, body armor, and other protective gear, and had a head-mounted camera broadcasting the assault on the website Twitch.
As he approached the store, Gendron could be heard saying, “just got to go for it” on his live stream. Buffalo police received a call at 2:31 p.m. reporting shots fired at the store. Gendron had already shot four individuals in the parking lot, killing three of them. He then entered the store and continued his rampage, shooting eight more individuals, six of whom were killed.
All of the victims were Black, and according to a law enforcement source, Gendron hurled racial epithets during the shooting. In total, sixty shots were fired during the incident.
The live-streamed video of the shooting on Twitch has resurfaced on the internet in 2023, once again drawing attention to the tragic event that took place almost a year earlier.
After being detained, Gendron was accused of first-degree homicide and officially entered a “not guilty” plea on 19th May 2022. However, on November 28, 2022, he changed his plea to guilty on all state charges related to the killing, including murder, hate crimes, and domestic terrorism.
The Buffalo supermarket shooting case has sparked discussions about gun control, hate crimes, and mental health. It has also highlighted the issue of racism and discrimination that continues to plague society. The victims and their families have been left to deal with the devastating aftermath of the tragedy, and the community has been left reeling from the shock of such a senseless act of violence.
The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of addressing issues such as gun violence and discrimination, and working towards creating a safer and more inclusive society for all. It is a tragedy that should never be forgotten, and its lessons must continue to be learned and remembered for years to come.
On a tragic day in 2022, a shooting occurred at a Friendly Markets supermarket in Buffalo, New York, that resulted in the deaths of 10 innocent people, including a retired police officer who was working as a security guard at the store. Of the 10 victims, all were Black, while two of them were White. The shooter, who was later identified as a 28-year-old White man named Thomas Gendron, drove three hours from his home in Conklin, New York, to carry out the attack.
Reports from the police indicate that Gendron had planned the shooting to target Black people specifically, in line with the racist ideology of the “great replacement.” This extremist view contends that there is a systematic replacement of white people in Western societies by non-white populations. This ideology has been used to justify violence and hate crimes against marginalized communities.
The shooting occurred both inside and outside the store while Gendron was carrying a semi-automatic rifle and wearing body armor. Witnesses described the scene as chaotic and frightening, with people running for cover while trying to avoid being hit by bullets. Gendron reportedly opened fire indiscriminately, showing no regard for the innocent lives he was taking.
The Buffalo community was devastated by the shooting, and the families of the victims were left to mourn their loved ones who had been taken from them in such a senseless act of violence. Among the victims were Katherine Massey, 72; Heyward Patterson, 67; Ruth Whitfield, 86; and Pearl Young, 77, all of whom were customers at the store. The other six victims were employees of the store, including Roberta A. Drury, 32; Celestine Chaney, 65; Andre Mackniel, 53; and Margus D. Morrison, 52.
One of the heroes of the day was Aaron Salter Jr., a retired police officer who had been working as a security guard at the store. Salter confronted Gendron during the shooting, and while he was ultimately fatally wounded, his bravery likely prevented even more lives from being lost.
The tragic events of that day underscore the ongoing problem of hate and violence against marginalized communities in the United States. The shooting serves as a painful reminder that more work needs to be done to address systemic racism and to ensure that all people can live in safety and peace.
