American eruption
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A woman chalks a message yesterday at a makeshift memorial outside of Tops supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
The racist shooting that killed 10 people in a Buffalo supermarket on Saturday was a shocking act of domestic terrorism that ignited debates over guns, racism and radicalization. And consider the weekend crime blotter from across the nation.
1. Orange County, Calif.: A man opened fire yesterday during a lunch reception at Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, Calif., AP reports. He killed one person and wounded five senior citizens, before a pastor hit the gunman on the head with a chair and parishioners hog-tied him with electrical cords.
2. Houston: Two people were killed and three more were taken to a hospital with injuries after a shooting yesterday at a bustling open-air flea market, per AP. The shooting arose from an “altercation” that involved at least two guns and all five of the people.
3. Chicago: A curfew banning unaccompanied minors in Millennium Park after 6 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, was imposed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot after a 16-year-old was shot dead Saturday near "The Bean" sculpture — among the city's top tourist attractions, AP reports.
4. Milwaukee: A curfew was imposed, a massive watch party for the NBA's Bucks was canceled — and beer sales slowed downtown — after 21 people were hurt in three shootings Friday night. The shootings happened near the Deer District, where 11,000 gathered near the arena where the Bucks played the Boston Celtics in the NBA's Eastern Conference semifinals. In one shooting, 17 people were hurt when two groups started firing at each other, per AP.
5. Winston-Salem, N.C.: Seven people were injured by gunfire Sunday night in "related" shootings that were "not considered to be a random act of violence," police told NBC News. Authorities said they were still in the early stages of an investigation but believed there had been a "large exchange" of gunfire in the area, according to WGHP. None of the injuries were thought to be life-threatening.
What we know about the 18-year-old charged with leaving 10 dead and three wounded at a Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, as people shopped for Sunday gatherings (by the Axios newsdesk):
- The suspect threatened to target his high school last spring. But he had no further contact with law enforcement after a mental health evaluation that put him in a hospital for a day and a half.
- He livestreamed the shooting on the gaming platform Twitch. A Twitch spokesperson said the video was removed in less than two minutes. But copies and screenshots are circulating online.
- The shooter wore tactical gear, including a bulletproof vest, and used a semiautomatic rifle, police said.
- The suspect drove 200 miles from Conklin, N.Y., and targeted a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood. Eleven of the 13 people shot were Black.
- He allegedly left a racist screed. Federal authorities are working to confirm the authenticity of a 180-page document that said the assault was intended to terrorize non-white people. (Go deeper ... Context.)
President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will travel to Buffalo on Tuesday "to grieve with the community that lost ten lives in a senseless and horrific mass shooting," the White House said.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with details from a shooting in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
