Buffalo shooting: Gov. Kathy Hochul calls on social media companies to monitor content more closely after attack was live-streamed
NEW YORK -- Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling on social media companies to do more when it comes to monitoring their content in the wake of a deadly mass shooting in Buffalo that was live-streamed by the alleged gunman.
Officials say from the moment the suspect, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, pulled into the Tops Market parking lot, he was live-streaming what he was doing.
"He exited his vehicle. He was very heavily armed. He had tactical gear. He had a tactical helmet on. He had a camera that he was live-streaming," Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said.
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As CBS2's Thalia Perez reports, the widely popular live-streaming service Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, has confirmed it was their platform the suspect used to live broadcast the shooting.
In a statement, a Twitch spokesperson said:
"We are devastated to hear about the shooting that took place this afternoon in Buffalo, New York. Our hearts go out to the community impacted by this tragedy. Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy against violence of any kind and works swiftly to respond to all incidents. The user has been indefinitely suspended from our service, and we are taking all appropriate action, including monitoring for any accounts rebroadcasting this content."
The governor blasted social media platforms following the shooting, demanding companies be more vigilant in monitoring their content.
"This execution of innocent human beings could be live-streamed on social media platforms and not taken down within a second says to me that there is a responsibility out there," she said.
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This is not the first time Twitch was used to live-stream a violent attack. On Yom Kippur in 2019, live video of a deadly shooting at a synagogue in eastern Germany was streamed on the site. Two people were killed.