Man Arrested After Threatening To Copy Buffalo Mass Shooter
A man is in custody after threatening to copy the mass shooter in Buffalo, New York.
According to WHAM, 52-year-old Joseph Chowaniec of Buffalo allegedly called a pizzeria and a brewery Sunday (May 15), making threats and referencing the mass shooting at Tops Friendly Markets the day before.
Police found Chowaniec on May 16 on a street corner holding a sign that read, “Uncle Sam dismantle white supremacy,” according to the New York Post.
Chowaniec is currently being held without bail and has been charged with a felony.
Erie County DA John Flynn said in a statement, “This crime will not be tolerated – especially as we are actively investigating the Jefferson Avenue shooting as a domestic terrorism incident.”
On May 14, Payton Gendron, 18, entered the Tops Friendly Markets store with a military-style assault rifle and opened fire. Investigators believe it was a racially motivated attack, the Associated Press reports.
He allegedly researched the local demographics and chose that supermarket to kill as many Black people as possible. Gendron shot, in total, 11 Black people and two white people Saturday. Ten of them died.
Citing an unnamed law enforcement official, the AP said a preliminary investigation found Gendron had repeatedly visited online sites that promoted white supremacist ideologies and race-based conspiracy theories.
