US officials were “still gathering facts,” Biden said. (file)
Washington:
US President Joe Biden on Sunday strongly condemned racist extremism following a deadly violence in Buffalo, and called on citizens to end the hatred that remains “a stain on America’s soul”.
“A lone gunman, armed with weapons of war and a hateful spirit, shot and killed 10 innocent people in cold blood in a grocery store on Saturday afternoon”, in western New York state, Biden told US police in Washington. Said in the service of officers.
“We must all work together to remove the stigma that remains on America’s soul,” the president said.
US officials were “still gathering facts,” Biden said.
But he said the Justice Department has announced it is investigating the stampede “as a hate crime, as a racially motivated act of white supremacy and violent extremism.”
“Hearts are heavy once again,” Biden said, “but our resolve should never, never waver.”
The suspected shooter was arrested from the scene in Buffalo, where a total of 13 people were shot, 11 of whom were black.
Police rushed to respond to emergency calls and eventually subdued and detained the 18-year-old suspect, who they said was wearing body armor, carried a semi-automatic assault rifle, and a Live-streamed the horrific attack on social media platforms.
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