On police radio, it began like so many other shootings in Buffalo – a dispatcher directs a couple of police cars to a "shots fired" call.
It was about 2:31 p.m.
The address of the call: 1275 Jefferson Ave., a Tops supermarket.
About a minute later, Buffalo police and firefighters arriving at the scene reported they saw bodies outside.
Just six minutes after police were first sent to store, a suspect in the horrific mass killing that left 10 people dead was in their custody, according to archived police and firefighter radio transmissions on Broadcastify.com.
The recording of radio transmissions described a grim scene, with first-responders discovering more violence had taken place there.
People are also reading…
At about 2:33 p.m., an officer there makes a plea.
"Radio, send as many cars as you possibly can," the officer says.
About a minute later, a dispatcher informs responding officers about a "possible active shooter at Tops." There were still shots being fired.
Less than 30 seconds later, firefighters radioed in that there were at least three people down on the ground and "there might be an individual with body armor."
Support Local Journalism
The firefighters reported police "have him" about 20 feet from where they were. Seconds later, they reported police officers had him "cornered."
At about 2:36 p.m., police report the suspect was in custody and a gun was secured.
Ten people were killed by a gunman dressed in body armor and armed with a high-powered rifle, while three others were wounded – two of them cr…
At least two of the victims outside were shot in the head.
At about 2:37 p.m., firefighters report police are inside "working on clearing the store."
About a minute later, police reported finding the first three victims inside the store.
About a minute after that, police report the scene was clear.
An officer at the scene asks the dispatcher to have the 911 lieutenant contact homicide detectives.
"We have bodies down here," he said.
About four minutes later, an officer at the scene says more officers are needed inside the store because of numerous bodies, bullets and magazines. He asks for the department's Crime Scene Unit be dispatched for evidence collection.
About four minutes after that, at roughly 2:48 p.m., an officer at the scene notifies other police that there were employees who had locked themselves in a room near customer service.
Reach Aaron at abesecker[at]buffnews.com or 716-849-4602.
Aaron Besecker
News Staff Reporter
I'm a member of The Buffalo News' breaking news/criminal justice team. I've been reporter at the News since 2007.
