At least 10 people have been killed after a mass shooting incident at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, two anonymous police sources inform Associated Press.
The figure has not yet been confirmed by official authorities. It is still unclear how many have been shot and injured in the shooting at Tops Friendly Market.
One of the police officers tells AP that the perpetrator wore a bulletproof vest and helmet.
Police reported the mass shooting earlier Saturday afternoon. At least one person is in custody.
“Several people have been hit by shots,” the Buffalo police district tweets.
BREAKING: BPD on scene of a mass shooting at the Tops in the 1200 block of Jefferson Avenue. Police say multiple people have been struck by gunfire. The shooter is in custody. Motorists and residents are urged to avoid the area.
– Buffalo Police Dept (@BPDAlerts) May 14, 2022
May have fired the shooting
Investigators believe the man streamed the shooting directly. It is also being investigated to see if the perpetrator has published a manifesto online.
The investigation is at an early stage, and the motive for the shooting is not clear, but the police are now investigating whether the mass shooting was racistly motivated. According to AFP, the FBI is investigating the mass shooting as a hate crime.
The alleged perpetrator is still not identified.
198 mass shootings so far this year
So far this year, there have been 198 mass shootings in the United States, according to the online archive The Gun Violence Archive.
The site defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people were injured or killed.
Last year, there were 693 mass shootings in the United States. This is the highest number since gunviolencearchive started logging in 2014.