Conway the Machine, one of Buffalo’s top rappers, has reacted to a horrific shooting by a White supremacist, which killed 10 people in a supermarket.
According to investigators, an 18-year-old traveled hours from Conklin, New York, to Buffalo on Saturday (May 14th), intent on causing bloodshed.
He drove to a predominantly Black area of the city to the Topps Friendly Market store to target Black customers. The White supremacist was armed with a legally purchased AR-15 with an illegally modified high-capacity magazine.
Once inside Topps Friendly Market, he began firing. In total, 10 people were killed, and three more were wounded. Two of the surviving victims are still hospitalized, while one has been discharged.
Like everyone, Conway, the Machine was stunned by the brutality of the crime committed by the racist teenager.
“My heart goes out to all of the family and friends of the victims and everyone that was impacted by this senseless act of racism and violence,” Conway the Machine said. “This is beyond unfathomable. Prayers up for my city!”
Pray for Buffalo 🤲🏽
My heart goes out to all the families and friends of the victims and everyone that was impacted by this senseless act of racism and violence. This is beyond unfathomable 💔
Prayers up for my city! https://t.co/e1CVMah97S— CONWAY (@WHOISCONWAY) May 15, 2022
His Griselda labelmate, Benny the Butcher, also issued a brief yet impactful statement expressing his shock and dismay over the massacre.
Can’t believe a mass shooting happened in my city 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 pray for Buffalo
— BENNY THE BUTCHER (@BennyBsf) May 14, 2022
“Can’t believe a mass shooting happened in my city 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 pray for Buffalo,” Benny said. Meanwhile, Westside Gunn asked his fans to keep Buffalo residents in their prayers.
PRAY FOR BUFFALO
— WESTSIDEGUNN (@WESTSIDEGUNN) May 14, 2022
The 18-year-old who was taken into custody allegedly wrote a White supremacist manifesto before his deadly rampage.
Erie County Sheriff John C. Garcia told CNN that the shooting was a “straight-up racially motivated hate crime from somebody outside of our community.”
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement, saying the Justice Department was investigating the shooting as a hate crime.
“The country mourns the victims of a senseless, horrific shooting in Buffalo, New York. The FBI and ATF are working closely with the Buffalo Police Department and federal, state, and local law enforcement partners,” Merrick Garland’s office said.
“The Justice Department is investigating this matter 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 the shooting and to seeking justice for these innocent victims,” the statement added.
The shooting in Buffalo was the deadliest mass shooting of 2022 so far. There have been a staggering 198 mass shootings in which four or more people were shot in the U.S. since January.