Uber and Lyft offering free grocery trips to Buffalo residents affected by mass shooting at supermarket
Payton Gendron allegedly targeted a predominantly Black area of Buffalo
Rideshare apps Uber and Lyft are offering free rides to residents of the Buffalo neighborhood where a gunman opened fire on a supermarket Saturday, killing 10 people and wounding three others.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Sunday that the area is now "a food desert" since the Tops Friendly Market is shut down as law enforcement investigates the mass shooting.
"We are in touch with Uber and Lyft and they have offered to take people from these zip codes if they need to go to a grocery store in another area, because a lot of people in this neighborhood, they walk to the grocery store, they don't have transportation," Hochul said at a press conference. "So to those families, we'll be reaching out and making sure the information is there on how to get access."
A police officer lifts the tape cordoning off the scene of a shooting at a supermarket, in Buffalo, N.Y., Sunday, May 15, 2022. A white 18-year-old wearing military gear and livestreaming with a helmet camera opened fire with a rifle at a supermarket (AP Photo/Matt Rourke / AP Newsroom)
Uber and Lyft confirmed that they are offering free rides to residents in the area for grocery trips.
BUFFALO SHOOTING: 10 DEAD IN MASS NY KILLING STREAMED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM TWITCH: LIVE UPDATES
"Our hearts go out to the victims of yesterday's terrible shooting and the entire community. We are happy to provide free rides to and from nearby grocery stores and hope it offers even a little peace during a difficult time," Uber spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein told FOX Business.
In this file photo, an Uber driver sits in his car while waiting for a ride in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File / AP Newsroom)
Payton Gendron, 18, is accused of traveling hours from his hometown to Buffalo on Saturday and livestreaming his shooting rampage at the Tops supermarket in a predominantly Black Buffalo neighborhood, killing 10 people and wounding three others.
Authorities are investigating a 180-page manifesto that Gendron allegedly posted online before the shooting, in which he defines himself as a White supremacist and espouses racist views.
Payton Gendron, 18, is accused of shooting and killing 10 people and wounding three others in Buffalo on Saturday. (Erie County DA / AP Photo / AP Newsroom)
Uber and Lyft were criticized for initially raising prices for rides in Brooklyn, New York, after a man set off a smoke canister on a subway and shot 10 people. Both companies eventually suspended surge pricing and said they would refund riders who had to pay higher fares.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
Gendron is currently being held without bail and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder charges on Saturday evening.