Governor Kathy Hochul in Buffalo following mass shooting (May 15, 2022)
Governor Kathy Hochul promised to advance new gun control legislation following Saturday’s mass shooting at the Tops Market on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo.
WBFO reports an 18-year-old White male allegedly killed 10 people and injured three others at the grocery store located on the city’s predominately Black East Side in an attack that authorities say was a hate crime.
Hochul arrived in Buffalo and addressed the media several hours later and shared some information about the gunman’s weapon. She said the firearm was legally purchased but modified with illegal magazines.
The Broome County home of the alleged gunman is just seven miles from the Pennsylvania border. He has been charged with first-degree murder and is in jail without bail.
As part of her State of the State address earlier this year, Hochul acknowledged increasing gun violence and announced a three-part agenda, which includes funding law enforcement gun safety initiatives and partnering with neighboring states to crack down on gun trafficking.
Hochul said she had already planned to announce a new gun reform package this week prior to Saturday’s shooting.
The gunman livestreamed the shooting on Twitch, a video streaming site that is typically used to live stream video games. The website said it removed the channel within two minutes of the shooting starting, but Hochul said social media outlets must be more vigilant.
Hochul said she plans to continue work with local, state and federal authorities to identify similar messages online, adding that it is their “best defense right now.”
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