Man accused of threats to shoot Buffalo grocery customers

SEATTLE (AP) — A suburban Seattle man has been arrested and accused of threatening to shoot Black customers at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

Joey George, 37, is charged with making interstate threats and is scheduled to appear in court Friday afternoon, The Seattle Times reported.

George phoned a Buffalo grocery store twice in July threatening to shoot Black people in the store and ranting about a “race war,” the complaint said.

On May 14, a shooter killed 10 Black people and hurt several others at Tops Friendly Supermarket in Buffalo. A 19-year-old white man with ties to white supremacy has pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges.

George did not call the same store but referenced it in his threat, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said George is also being charged in connection with a May call to a restaurant in San Bruno, California, in which he allegedly threatened to shoot Black and Hispanic patrons, and with making other threatening calls to businesses in Maryland, Connecticut and Washington over the last year.

“George allegedly used racial slurs and threats to shoot customers at the businesses because of his racial hatred,” according to Western District of Washington prosecutors.

“We cannot tolerate this kind of hate in our community and will not sit by while people seek to terrorize others across our country,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.