Buffalo-area sheriff sounds alarm on lacking mental health resources: Shooter 'slipped through the cracks'
18-year-old suspected supermarket gunman was evaluated and released for a 'generalized threat' in 2021
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Erie County, N.Y., Sheriff John Garcia called the growing trend of violence in America "horrific" Monday after 10 people were killed and three more injured in a mass shooting in Buffalo Saturday.
The suspect, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, allegedly live-streamed the supermarket shooting on social media. He was charged with first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I pray for the victims. I pray for their families, and also I pray for the officers that responded, because that's a lot of trauma," Garcia said on "America Reports."
The Gun Violence Archive reported 202 mass shootings in 2021, a number Garcia said is "numbing."
He called attention to the lack of resources for mental health care in America, pointing to Gendron’s previous run-in with law enforcement. Gendron was hospitalized in 2021 for making a "generalized threat" and underwent mental health evaluation but was released after a day and a half.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He slipped through the cracks," Garcia told host John Roberts. "I could understand the anger from family members because that's unacceptable."
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Erie County District Attorney John Flynn indicated in an interview with Fox News that Gendron could face domestic terrorism charges. Officials believe the shooting was racially motivated due to Gendron’s roughly 180-page manifesto that included a plan for the attack.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"His only intention was to kill as many African-Americans as possible," Garcia said. "This is a person spewing a lot of hate. Pure evil."
People pay their respects outside the scene of a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., Sunday, May 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
One of Gendron’s victims, Aaron Salter Jr., was working security at the Tops Friendly Market and is being hailed a hero for giving his life to protect shoppers.
Garcia and Salter Jr. worked together for years at the Buffalo Police Department.
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"When you talk about somebody like Aaron Salter, this is a person we have to talk about as being a hero. He confronted this individual," Garcia said.
"Great guy. You're not going to find one person to say anything negative about him. Always with a smile. Just tremendous."