Monday, May 16 top stories
It is Monday, May 16. Here are today’s top stories.
10 killed in “racist hate crime” shooting in Buffalo
On Saturday afternoon in Buffalo, New York, a 18-year-old gunman opened fire at a Tops supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood and killed 10. All of those who died were Black.
The Buffalo Police Commissioner said the shooting was an “absolute racist hate crime. It will be prosecuted as a hate crime. This is someone who has hate in their heart, soul and mind.”
The gunman’s name is Payton Gendron, who lived over 200 miles away in Conklin, New York. He said in his diatribe that he is a white supremacist and intentionally targeted Buffalo because it had a large Black population. He wrote the N-word on his AR-15 rifle and live-streamed the shooting.
There was a security guard inside of the supermarket, Aaron Salter. He shot at Gendron but the bullet couldn’t get through his thick body armor. Gendron then shot and killed Salter. He was 55 years old.
Police arrived around two minutes after the shooting started. Witnesses said Gendron came outside of the store and put the gun to his head but then dropped it and came down to the floor, where officers arrested him.
Police said there were four bodies in the parking lot and the other victims were found inside in the supermarket. A total of 13 people were shot with 10 of them dying.
The nine others who died, other than the security guard, were Ruth Whitfield, Pearly Young, Katherine Massey, Roberta Drury, Margus Morrison, Andre Mackneil, Geraldine Talley, Celestine Chaney, and Hayward Patterson.
President Joe Biden and New York Gov. Hochul said the shooting was an act of terrorism.
Gendron now faces first-degree murder charges and is likely to face federal hate crimes charges.
Southern California church shooting
On Sunday afternoon in Southern California, a gunman entered a church and opened fire on people gathered at a luncheon, killing one and injuring five.
The church is the Geneva Presbyterian Church. Its Taiwanese congregation was targeted.
The church’s former pastor and others were able to confront the gunman and tie him up with an extension cord. When police arrived, they found the gunman tied up already with two of his handguns taken away.
The suspect was identified as 68-year-old David Chou, who is from Las Vegas.
Police praised the churchgoers for their actions to stop the gunman, calling it “exceptional heroism and bravery” and said they prevented additional injuries and fatalities.
It is not known what the gunman’s motive was. He was charged with murder today and five counts of attempted murder.
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McDonald’s selling its restaurants in Russia
McDonald’s announced today that it would sell its restaurants and business in Russia.
McDonald’s closed all of its restaurants in Russia after the war in Ukraine started but continued to pay its 62,000 employees.
McDonald’s said it is now looking for a local buyer in Russia to acquire the restaurants and “de-Arch” them — which is to remove McDonald’s branding and menu.
5 states hold primaries on May 17
Five states will hold primaries on Tuesday, May 17: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Oregon, Idaho, and Kentucky.
In Pennsylvania, there is an open Senate seat because of Pat Toomey (R) ’s retirement. Donald Trump has endorsed the famous Mehmet Oz in the Republican primary. The top Democratic candidate according to polls, John Fetterman, had a stroke on Sunday but said he is going to recover.
In Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Idaho, there are primaries for governor.
In North Carolina, U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn is trying to win re-election after having a very controversial year filled with scandals.
Also in North Carolina, there is an open Senate seat because of Richard Burr (R) ’s retirement. The top Democratic candidate is Cheri Beasley, who is a former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Trump has endorsed U.S. Congressman Ted Budd in the Republican primary.
Sweden to join Finland in applying for NATO membership
Sweden’s PM Andersson said the country would apply to formally join NATO, which would end Sweden’s long-held position of neutrality in international affairs. Sweden said they want to apply for NATO membership along with its neighbor Finland. If NATO accepts both countries, it means Russia will now have two neighbors turn into rival NATO members.
In Ukraine, President Zelenskyy said his troops have pushed Russian troops back to the border in the Kharkiv region. Most of the most fierce battles are in southeastern Ukraine. There were strikes that hit a hospital overnight that killed two people and wounded nine people, including a child. Ukrainian forces blew up Russian-held railway bridges.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/15/us/buffalo-supermarket-shooting-sunday/index.html
https://heavy.com/news/payton-gendron/
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/15/us/california-church-shooting-laguna-woods.html
https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/mcdonalds-sell-russian-business-ukraine
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/2022-midterms-watch-states-hold-primaries-84743372
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-kyiv-moscow-6dc968ea8d353132bd8b8cb58b04734c