Buffalo police confirmed the shooter was in custody in a tweet, but they have not identified a suspect.
A sports shooter with a rifle and body armor opened fire in a Buffalo supermarket, killing at least 10 people before being taken into custody, law enforcement officials said.
Details on how many additional people were shot Saturday at Top Friendly Markets and their conditions were not immediately available.
“Ten people were killed by a gunman wearing body armor and armed with a high-powered rifle, while three others were wounded – two of them in critical condition,” Buffalo News reported citing an official. police officer at the scene and another source close to the execution.
Investigators believe the man may have been live-streaming the shooting and are looking into whether he posted a manifesto online, a police official told the Associated Press.
The official cautioned that the investigation is in its preliminary stages and that authorities have yet to establish a clear motive, but are investigating whether the shooting was racially motivated.
The supermarket is located in a predominantly Black residential area about 3 miles (5 km) north of downtown Buffalo. The surrounding area is mostly residential.
Buffalo police confirmed the shooter was in custody in a tweet, but did not identify a suspect. Police officials and a spokesperson for the supermarket chain did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Braedyn Kephart and Shane Hill, both 20, pulled into the parking lot just as the shooter was walking out. They describe him as a Caucasian male in his late or early twenties, wearing full camouflage, a black helmet and what appears to be an assault rifle.
“He was standing there with the gun to his chin. We were like what the hell is going on? Why is this kid holding a gun to his face? ‘ said Kephart. He knelt down. “He tore off his helmet, dropped his gun, and was dealt with by the police.”
Mayor Byron Brown and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz were on the scene Saturday afternoon, gathered in a parking lot across from the Tops store, and are expected to speak to the media.
Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted that she is “closely monitoring the shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo,” her hometown.
The Erie County Sheriff’s Office said on social media that it has ordered all staff present to assist Buffalo police.
The shooting comes just over a year after the March 2021 attack at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, that left 10 people dead.
