New York mass shooting was racially motivated, says FBI

A man who shot more than a dozen people at a supermarket as he live-streamed the attack has been charged with murder.

Ten people were killed when Payton Gendron, wearing body armour, a helmet and full military fatigues, opened fire at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday.

Eleven of the 13 people shot were black. FBI agent Stephen Belongia described the gun attack as “racially motived violent extremism”.

The supermarket where the shooting took place is in a black-majority neighbourhood, north of central Buffalo.

Mr Gendron, 18, who is white, lives in Conklin, a small town about 270 kilometres away.

Police said he pulled up in the afternoon and opened fire.

“He exited his vehicle. He was very heavily armed. He had tactical gear. He had a tactical helmet on. He had a camera that he was live-streaming what he was doing,” said Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.

The gunman initially shot four people outside the shop, three of whom died, Mr Gramaglia said. Inside the supermarket, a security guard who was a retired police officer fired several shots at the attacker, hitting his bulletproof vest.

Mr Gendron then killed the security guard and police entered the supermarket.

“At that point the suspect put the gun to his own neck. Buffalo police personnel – two patrol officers – talked the suspect into dropping the gun,” Mr Gramaglia said. “He dropped the gun, took off some of his tactical gear, surrendered at that point. And he was led outside, put in a police car.”

Mr Gendron appeared in court on Saturday evening and was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. Another court hearing is scheduled for later this week.

On Saturday, US President Joe Biden called for more action against hate crime.

“Any act of domestic terrorism, including an act perpetrated in the name of a repugnant white nationalist ideology, is antithetical to everything we stand for in America,” he said.

“Hate must have no safe harbour. We must do everything in our power to end hate-fuelled domestic terrorism.”

Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP civil rights group, called the shooting “absolutely devastating”.

“Our hearts are with the community and all who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy. Hate and racism have no place in America. We are shattered, extremely angered and praying for the victims’ families and loved ones,” he said.

Ten people were killed in a gun attack on Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo on Saturday