Singer Justin Bieber performed at a concert in Buffalo, which was the site of a major mass shooting that left ten people dead in a grocery store.
We’ll cover more on the shooting below in case you want to skip the horrific details. We’ll just tell you upfront that Justin tried to hold a moment of silence for the victims at his concert, which was rudely interrupted by fans whooping and hollering.
And he was NOT having it.
Justin Bieber Slams Fans Who Disturb His Moment Of Silence For Buffalo Victims
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In the caption of his Instagram post about his moment of silence for the victims of the Buffalo shooting, the “Lonely” singer asked, “To the people who couldn’t stay silent to honor the lives that were so tragically lost, I urge you to ask yourself why?”
The video is just over a minute long. Justin walks out on stage saying, “What’s up, Buffalo?” He says that it’s “such an honor to be back here” as he circles the stage in a pink sweatshirt and matching pants. “You know, as we know, there’s been a tragedy in the city. But what we’re going to do tonight is we’re going to honor those people. And I would love it if we could just take a moment of silence. That would mean a lot to me. So we can start right now.”
Justin bows his head and clasps his hands together as the camera pans over the audience. Although it’s mostly silent, one or two whoops can be heard in the packed auditorium.
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In another Instagram video caption, Justin wrote, “PRAYING WITH AND FOR BUFFALO.”
“You guys probably heard what happened,” he says as he forms a prayer circle with his crew back stage. “Pretty horrible stuff. But I’m looking forward to tonight. Looking forward to getting on that stage and doing what we do best and having a good time and bringing joy to the city. It’s much needed. And so let’s just do that.”
“God, we just thank you for this night,” he continues. “Thank you so much for just another night to just be present and do what we do best and do what you’ve designed us to do. I pray that we would just have energy and focus and strength. And we just thank for another night in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
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In a longer, five-minute video, Justin gives a brief introduction before launching into song.
“RACISM WILL NOT PREVAIL GOD DOES,” Justin wrote in the caption. “WE STAND WITH YOU BUFFALO AND STAND AGAINST THIS RACIST ACT OF TERROR.”
So What Did Exactly Happen In Buffalo?
This is Ruth Elizabeth Whitfield, an 86yo Black grandmother killed in yesterday’s mass shooting in Buffalo. She was her husband’s primary caretaker and was coming back from visiting him in a nursing home when a sick, depraved white supremacist brutally murdered her and 9 others. pic.twitter.com/k3wefC8B0i
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) May 15, 2022
As per CNN, 18-year-old Payton Gendron was arrested as the main suspect. He is accused of opening fire in a Buffalo grocery store on Saturday. Officials say that Gendron, a white male, was specifically targeting members of the Black community.
The alleged gunman killed ten people and wounded three others at the Top Friendly Markets store. Eleven of the people shot were Black. The gunman wrote a White supremacist manifesto and published it online shortly before the attack. He hailed from Conklin, New York, and traveled over 200 miles to attack those in the predominantly Black Buffalo neighborhood. He livestreamed the shooting on Twitch, but the video was immediately taken down by officials.
On Sunday, Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said that the attack was a racist hate crime and said that it will be prosecuted as such. “The evidence that we have uncovered so far makes no mistake that this is an absolute racist hate crime. It will be prosecuted as a hate crime,” he said. “This is someone who has hate in their heart, soul, and mind.”
