10 People Killed In Shooting At New York Supermarket; 1 Person In Custody

BUFFALO, NY — At least 10 people were killed by a gunman carrying a rifle and wearing body armor at a Tops Market grocery store in Buffalo on Saturday, according to a report from The Associated Press citing anonymous law enforcement officials.

The shooting happened at the store located in the 1200 block of Jefferson Avenue. It wasn't immediately clear if others were injured in the shooting.

Buffalo police said they took someone into custody earlier Saturday afternoon. They did not identify the shooter.

Investigators believe the man may have been livestreaming the shooting and were looking into whether he had posted a manifesto online, a law enforcement official told The AP. The official cautioned the investigation was in its preliminary stages and that authorities hadn’t yet discerned a clear motive, but were investigating whether the shooting was racially motivated.

The supermarket is in a predominately Black neighborhood, about 3 miles north of downtown Buffalo. The surrounding area is primarily residential, with a Family Dollar store and fire station near the store.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz first confirmed the incident on Twitter, calling it an "active multiple shooting event."

Residents are being asked to avoid the area.

Police closed off the block, lined by spectators, and yellow police tape surrounded the full parking lot. Mayor Byron Brown was at the scene late Saturday afternoon and expected to address the media.

A worker at the grocery store told The Buffalo News he was stocking milk when shots rang out.

"I just heard shots. Shots and shots and shots," he told The News. "It sounded like things were falling over."

Braedyn Kephart and Shane Hill, both 20, pulled into the parking lot just as the shooter was exiting. They described him as a white male in his late teens or early twenties sporting full camo, a black helmet and what appeared to be a rifle.

"He was standing there with the gun to his chin. We were like what the heck is going on? Why does this kid have a gun to his face?" Kephart told The AP. "He dropped to his knees. He ripped off his helmet, dropped his gun, and was tackled by the police."

A recently retired Buffalo police officer who was working security at the store is among the dead, The News reported. As many as five bodies were found in the parking lot, a police official told the newspaper.

Tops Friendly Markets released a statement saying, "We are shocked and deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also tweeted about the shooting, saying state officials have offered assistance to Buffalo authorities.

"I am closely monitoring the shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo," Hochul tweeted. "If you are in Buffalo, please avoid the area and follow guidance from law enforcement and local officials."

The shooting comes little more than a year after a March 2021 attack at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, that killed 10 people. Investigators have not released any information about why they believe the man charged in that attack targeted the supermarket.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.