Photo: Getty Images
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrived in Buffalo, New York on Tuesday (May 17) to meet with the families of the 10 victims of the racist mass shooting that took place Saturday (May 14) inside a local grocery store.
The President and First Lady placed flowers at the memorial erected on Jefferson Avenue outside of the Tops Friendly Market where 10 Black people were fatally shot by a gunman who proclaims white supremacist ideology.
Biden is expected to deliver remarks and call for stricter gun laws in the country, which has seen 201 mass shootings in 2022, according to a tally by CNN.
Buffalo Police arrested 18-year-old Payton Gendron who is accused of entering the Tops Friendly Market, opening fire, and shooting 13 people, 11 of whom were Black. Online posts revealed Gendron had planned the attack for months and targeted the area because of its high population of Black people.
The shooter also had plans to continue the deadly rampage throughout the community if he had escaped the store.
Gendron was arraigned on one count of first-degree murder and the Erie County District Attorney said the office is weighing domestic terrorism and hate crime charges. The suspected gunman is due in court for a felony hearing on Thursday (May 19).
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The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
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The Association of Black Psychologists 1-301-449-3082
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America 1-240-485-1001
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