The Philippine consulate in New York said no casualties were reported at the shooting incident at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, that left 10 people dead on Saturday afternoon,
Consul General Elmer Cato said there are about 540 Filipinos in Buffalo, where the shooting incident happened.
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“Initial reports received by [Philippine Consulate General in New York] indicate no Filipino casualties in the mass shooting incident in Buffalo, New York this afternoon that left 10 people dead,” Cato said in a tweet.
Authorities state that the shooting was carried out by an 18-year-old gunman who left three people wounded. The suspect Payton Gendron, who wore a tactical gear and livestreamed the shooting and was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, according to reports.
The white suspect, who was armed with an assault-style rifle and appeared to have acted alone, came to Buffalo from a New York county “hours away” to target the store in a predominantly black community and confessed that he hated that the black race is increasing.
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The US Department of Justice said that it is investigating the incident as a “hate crime and an act of racially motivated violent extremism”.
“The Justice Department is committed to conducting a thorough and expeditious investigation into this shooting and to seeking justice for these innocent victims,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
