Justin Bieber Addresses Supermarket Mass Shooting, Holds Moment of Silence for Victims at Buffalo Concert
Justin Bieber, who was in Buffalo for a concert on his Justice World Tour this weekend, addressed the tragedy that occurred at a Buffalo supermarket on Saturday (May 14).
Ten people were killed and three others wounded in a mass shooting that authorities described as “racially motivated violent extremism.” Police said an 18-year-old gunman, who is white, was wearing body armor and military-style clothing when he pulled up and opened fire at people at a Tops Friendly Market. Eleven of the victims were Black and two white.
Bieber posted clips from his concert at the city’s Keybank Center on Instagram that showed him speaking to his tour crew, as well as the audience, about what he said was a “racist act of terror.”
“You guys probably heard what happened,” he said in a pre-show huddle with his crew. “Pretty horrible stuff. But I’m looking forward to tonight, looking forward to getting on stage and doing what we do best and having a good time and bringing joy to the city. It’s much needed.”
While onstage, Bieber addressed the crowd and led them in a moment of silence in honor of the victims: “As you know, there’s been tragedy in the city, but what we’re gonna do tonight, is we’re gonna honor those people, and I would love if we could just take a moment of silence. That would mean a lot to me.” (In a caption for the Instagram post, he wrote, “To the people who couldn’t stay silent to honor the lives that were so tragically lost, I urge you to ask yourself why.”)
“There’s so much division in this world,” Bieber said at another point in the show. “So much racial injustice. And as you and I both know, racism is evil and it is diabolical. But what you and I get to do, is we get to be the difference makers. We get to be the people who continue to have the conversations with our friends and our families and our loved ones, who continue to be allies.”
“WE STAND WITH YOU BUFFALO AND STAND AGAINST THIS RACIST ACT OF TERROR,” Bieber captioned that clip.
See his posts below.
Powered by Billboard.