First Thing: Buffalo gunman allegedly did reconnaissance of area

Nicola Slawson – 1h ago

Good morning.

As Buffalo, New York, mourns the victims of a mass shooting at a supermarket Saturday that left 10 dead and three wounded, details are emerging about the shooter’s movements and how the devastating racist attack unfolded.

The 18-year-old shooter, who is a self-confessed white supremacist, shot 11 Black and two white victims in a “racially motivated hate crime” authorities said. It plunged the mostly Black Buffalo East Side neighborhood into grief and shock.

But the plotting of the attack happened many miles away, had likely been in development for months and even apparently involved a reconnaissance of the targeted area.

The shooter is believed to have traveled about 200 miles (320km) from his home of Conklin, New York, to Buffalo but signs of trouble had surrounded him for some time. One year ago, he was the subject of a law enforcement investigation, according to the Buffalo News.

Where did the shooter get the gun? Officials have said that the shooter purchased his gun legally in New York. He did not purchase the high-capacity magazine in this state, they said.
Meanwhile, California parishioners managed to subdue a gunman who killed one person and wounded five senior citizens. A pastor was able to hit the gunman on the head with a chair and then other parishioners tied him up with electrical cords.

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