BUFFALO, N.Y. — At a news conference Sunday afternoon, City of Buffalo and New York State officials applauded the swift actions and response time of police following a mass shooting at the Jefferson Avenue Tops Friendly Markets location that left 10 dead and three wounded.
"I believe the narrative should be the actions taken yesterday by the Buffalo police officers, Erie County Sheriff's deputies and FBI agents that this shooting started at approximately 2:30 p.m.," Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said. "And five hours later, this individual is in custody and arraigned and behind bars. The bravery by the Buffalo police officers to engage an individual with a vest, assault rifle and handguns, I cannot say enough about their actions."
"I want to thank law enforcement at every level - federal, state, Buffalo police, Erie County Sheriff's Department for their tremendous response," Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown added. "Buffalo police responded in less than two minutes after this incident began and I want to say a special word of thanks to those Buffalo police officers because if not their swift response and courageous actions, more lives probably would have been lost yesterday."
Gov. Kathy Hochul shared those sentiments during Sunday's news conference.
"I am absolutely in awe of what the Buffalo Police Department did yesterday," she said. "They are so heroic when the time comes and they deserve our respect and I want to give my gratitude to them."
On Saturday, 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron, of Conklin, New York, while wearing military gear and livestreaming with a helmet camera, opened fire with a rifle at the Jefferson Ave. Tops Friendly Markets location, killing 10 people and wounding three others Saturday in what authorities described as “racially motivated violent extremism.”
Police said he shot 11 Black victims and two who were white before surrendering to police.
According to Erie County District Attorney John Flynn and the district attorney's office, the suspect was arraigned on a first-degree murder charge Saturday evening in Buffalo City Court and was remanded without bail.