President Joe Biden plans to call a mass shooting in a Buffalo supermarket being investigated as a racially motivated hate crime an act of terrorism, his spokesperson said Tuesday.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One that Biden plans to deem the massacre a terroristic act in his remarks later this afternoon.
“The President will call this despicable act for what it is: Terrorism motivated by a hateful and perverse ideology that tears at the soul of our nation,” Jean-Pierre said. The designation could potentially affect the charges against the accused gunman as well as federal law enforcement's response.
Ten people were shot and killed and three others were injured Saturday after the accused gunman, a white, 18-year-old Conklin resident allegedly carried out out and live-streamed the shooting on the social media platform Twitch. He is also believed to have authored a 180-page screed, explaining his motivation. Eleven of the people shot on Saturday were Black.
Biden is expected to be greeted by Gov. Kathy Hochul at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport Tuesday morning. He will deliver remarks at the Delavan Grider Community Center at 1 p.m.
