Buffalo mass shooting: Payton Gendron wanted to continue rampage at second store but stopped by cops

Harrowing radio calls made by Buffalo police officers and firefighters reveals the chaos the emergency crews found at the scene of the Tops Friendly Markets Saturday afternoon after a gunman opened fire and killed 10 people.

Police were first alerted to the scene of the supermarket at around 2.31pm, when a dispatcher first directed a couple of officers to respond to a ‘shots fired’ call, according to audio recordings obtained by DailyMail.com.

Just about one minute later, the first cops and firefighters on the scene reported seeing bodies strewn outside the supermarket, and soon one officer on the scene makes a plea to the dispatcher, saying: ‘Radio, send as many cars as you possibly can’ as sirens could be heard going off in the distance.

Soon, a dispatcher informs the officers about a ‘possible active shooter’ at Tops, saying there are ‘still shots being fired.’

Less than 30 seconds later, firefighters on the scene radioed in that there were ‘at least three people on the ground,’ and the suspect ‘might be wearing body armor.’

Moments later, police reported that they had the suspect ‘cornered’ and ‘have him in custody.’ That call came just about six minutes after police were first dispatched to the scene.

Still, officials to clear out the supermarket, as they continued to find more victims of the apparently racially-motivated shooting.

By around 2:35pm officials began calling it a ‘mass casualty incident,’ with cops on the scene asking for more cars to control the crowds that had gathered outside as they were ‘working on clearing the store.’

They announced at the time that there were at least three people shot, at least two of whom were shot directly in the head.

More victims were soon found dead inside the building, as one police officer could be heard exclaiming: ‘We have bodies down here.’

Police then called for more Crime Scene Unit officers to collect numerous bodies, bullets and magazines, and asked for further assistance in clearing the surrounding area of family members who had gathered outside worried about their loved ones.

In the final call of the audio recording, about 20 minutes after police were first dispatched to the scene, another police officer reveals that employees at the shop had locked themselves in a room near customer service to keep themselves safe during the rampage.

In the end, police say, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, killed 10 people at the store and injured three others.

Gendron, of Conklin, NY, has since pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. He is now being held without bail and faces life in prison.

Buffalo officials now say Gendron would have continued his rampage had he not been stopped by cops, and planned to drive to a second store to target black people.

‘His plans were to drive out of here and continue driving down Jefferson Avenue looking to shoot more black people and possibly go to another store location,’ Buffalo Police Chief Joseph Gramaglia told ABC News.

The teen, who claims to identify as a white supremacist, issued several ‘clear and hate-filled’ statements about his motive and state of mind following his arrest, and admitted that he was targeting the black community when he carried out the massacre, an official confirmed to CNN.

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn revealed Sunday night that officials are also considering charging Gendron with domestic terrorism.

‘We’re looking at potentially multiple additional charges to be filed,’ Flynn told Fox News. ‘We are looking at domestic terrorism charges, we are looking at hate crime charges, there’s actually a charge in New York State called domestic terrorism motivated by hate. So, that charge right there encompasses the actual terrorism and the hate charge together, all in one charge.’

The alleged killer, who is due back in court on Thursday, is currently on suicide watch after he ‘put the gun under his chin’ as though to shoot himself following Saturday’s attack. Officers managed to ‘talk him down’ and arrest him. Gendron is being held in a separate unit from other inmates.

‘He’s on direct observation from our deputies [with] video surveillance,’ Erie County Sheriff John Garcia explained. ‘He will be treated as everyone else is treated within the Erie County holding center — humanely, with respect. And he will receive the correctional help and the mental help that is needed.’

Police believe Gendron planned the attack for months before driving three hours to Buffalo to carry out the vile ambush that authorities are calling an act of ‘violent extremism’ motivated by race.

Shonnell Teague, manager of Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, claims suspected gunman Payton Gendron visited the store on Friday while disguised as a homeless person.

‘He was acting like he was homeless and needed change,’ Teague told The New York Daily News on Sunday. ‘He really was checking out the store.’

Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia confirmed the allegations, noting Gendron, 18, who lives nearly 200 miles away from Buffalo made multiple stops in the area the day before the massacre.

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Shonnell Teague (pictured), manager of Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, claims suspected gunman Payton Gendron visited the store on Friday while disguised as a homeless person. She claims he ‘acted like he needed change’ but was really surveying the store

‘He was in the Buffalo area, he was right in this area the day before,’ Gramaglia said at a news conference Sunday. ‘We have identified some of the locations that he was at. We know he did some reconnaissance on the area and the store.’

Investigators, while executing a search warrant at his home on Sunday, also found evidence that the teen had been ‘studying’ previous hate crimes and shootings before he carried out his own attack.

‘The evidence that we have uncovered so far makes no mistake that this is an absolute racist hate crime. It will be prosecuted as a hate crime,’ Gramaglia said. ‘This is someone who has hate in their heart, soul and mind.’

It was also revealed Sunday that Gendron was not on law enforcement’s radar – despite having underwent a mental health evaluation last summer after he threatened to open fire at his high school.

Police were called to Gendron’s high school in Conklin, New York, located near the Pennsylvania border, on June 8, 2021 after he made a threatening statement, authorities revealed during a press conference Sunday.

‘The state police responded. They investigated. They interviewed the subject. And they felt at the time it was appropriate to have that individual brought in for a mental health evaluation,’ Gramaglia explained.

Gramaglia said the threat was not racist and not directed at a specific person or place.

However, an unnamed law enforcement source told The Associated Press Gendron, then-17, had threatened to shoot up Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna High School around graduation.

Gendron was released after spending a day-and-a-half in the hospital. Gramaglia said that after his discharge, Gendron had no further contact with law enforcement.

‘Nobody called in,’ the police commissioner said. ‘Nobody called any complaints.’

New York Governor Kathy Hochul told ABC News on Sunday that an investigation would focus on what could have been done to stop Gendron, since he had advertised his views online and had been on authorities’ radar.

Teague, who was in the store during the attack, detailed the horrors of Saturday’s massacre on her Facebook page

‘I want to know what people knew, and when they knew it,’ she said, adding the probe would be ‘calling upon our law enforcement as well as our social media platforms.’

President Joe Biden will travel to Buffalo on Tuesday to meet with the families of mass shooting victims, the White House confirmed to CNN. The president also issued condolences to the families on Sunday and said he was receiving regular updates from his team about the massacre.

‘We’re still gathering the facts, but already, the Justice Department has stated publicly that it’s investigating the matter as a hate crime, racially-motivated act of white supremacy and violent extremism,’ Biden said.

‘As they do, we must all work together to address the hate that remains a stain on the soul of America. Our hearts are heavy once again, but our resolve must never waver.’

Authorities said Gendron drove to Buffalo from his home several hours away to launch the attack, which he broadcast in real time on social media platform Twitch, a live video service owned by Amazon.com.

He then opened fire at the Tops grocery store using a gun that he legally purchased but had illegally modified with a high-capacity magazine.

Teague, who was in the store during the attack, detailed the horrors of Saturday’s massacre on her Facebook page.

‘My daughter and her boyfriend and I were standing right there and came back inside to get snacks, and they (were) at the register when the guy came in shooting,’ she wrote.

‘I just want to thank God for our lives. And my prayers go out to all the victims and their families.’

Investigators are reportedly working to assemble a timeline of Gendron’s activities before the attack. Despite confirming that he surveyed the store on Friday, Commissioner Gramaglia has declined to detail the gunman’s interactions ahead of the attack, which was first called into 911 around 2.30pm.

Gramaglia did confirm that in addition to the AR-15 that Gendron fired during attack, officials discovered a rifle and shotgun in his vehicle. Those weapons were not used in the massacre.

He also revealed that law enforcement personnel searched the accused gunman’s Conklin home on Sunday, as well as a shed on the property. Pictures taken at the scene show FBI agents collecting and photographing evidence from the property.

Federal agents also interviewed Gendron’s parents, Paul and Pamela, who are said to be cooperating with investigators.

‘The state police and FBI are at his house,’ Gramaglia told The New York Daily News. ‘They’ve spoken with the parents. From what I’ve been told, they’re absolutely distraught, devastated, cooperating.’

Gov. Hochul said Sunday she was dismayed that the suspect managed to live-stream his attack on social media, which she blamed for hosting a ‘feeding frenzy’ of violent extremist ideology.

‘The CEOs of those companies need to be held accountable and assure all of us that they’re taking every step humanly possible to be able to monitor this information,’ she told ABC News. ‘How these depraved ideas are fermenting on social media, it’s spreading like a virus now.

Hochul also slammed Twitch for allowing a ‘military-style execution’ and ‘the massacre of innocent people’ to be ‘viewed by other people.’

‘There’s not enough monitoring because clearly this information was out there. Don’t they have a responsibility? I know it’s a huge, vast undertaking, but these companies have a lot of money. They have resources. They have technology. Key words show up, they need to be identified, s

Buffalo mass shooting: Payton Gendron wanted to continue rampage at second store but stopped by cops

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