Laguna Woods, (USA) –Barely 24 hours after the mass shooting of 13 people at the Tops Friendly Market, in Buffalo, New York where 10 people lost their lives, a gunman yesterday appeared at the Geneva Presbyterian Church killing one person and critically injuring four in the process.
According to Carrie Braun, of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, most of the victims were Taiwanese, though officials were still investigating if they had been targeted adding that the motive for the shooting was not immediately clear.
In addition, Undersheriff Jeff Hallock of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said the gunman is an Asian man in his 60s who was overpowered by a group of churchgoers restraining him from causing more harm.
“That group of churchgoers displayed what we believe is exceptional heroism and bravery in interfering, in intervening, to stop the suspect. They undoubtedly prevented additional injuries and fatalities,” said Undersheriff Hallock.
Meanwhile, in the Buffalo tragedy, Police have identified 18-year-old Payton Gendron of Conklin as the gunman.
According to the Police, shortly after Gendron was arrested a manifesto believed to have been posted online by the gunman emerged, riddled with racist, anti-immigrant views that claimed white Americans were at risk of being replaced by people of colour. In the video that appeared to have been captured by the camera affixed to his helmet, and anti-Black racial slur could be seen on the barrel of his weapon adding that what was written in the manifesto, appeared to have been inspired by earlier massacres that were motivated by racial hatred, including a mosque shooting in New Zealand and the Walmart shooting in Texas, that both took place in 2019.
“Any act of domestic terrorism, including an act perpetrated in the name of a repugnant white nationalist ideology is antithetical to everything we stand for in America. Hate must have no safe harbour,” said President Joe Biden.
