A White supremacist opened fire at a supermarket in a Black neighborhood in Buffalo, NY. The 18-year-old shot 13 people; 10 died in the mass shooting on Saturday.
In the parking lot, three victims were killed, while the rest were slain inside the supermarket. 11 of the 13 people shot were Black, and the remaining two were white. Four of the victims were store employees, while the rest were shoppers.
The event shook the Buffalo community, especially residents of the predominantly Black area. Tops Friendly Market is the only grocery store for miles.
On Sunday morning, in front of the supermarket, community members held a prayer vigil to honor those who died and call attention to the vile danger of white supremacy.
“As the names are emerging, it is so heartbreaking because you realize, oh, that’s a friend of your mother, that’s the aunt of another friend of your wife. A man that was simply buying cupcakes for his son’s birthday slaughtered at the counter – the cashier counter,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Buffalo native, told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
“So no, it is deeply disturbing to all of us. This is a tight-knit community, they care about each other. We care about everyone, and our hearts are broken, no doubt about it.”
Buffalo police released the victims’ names on Sunday night as community members began speaking out to confirm their loved ones were among those shot.
Here are the names of the victims and their stories.
Aaron Salter Jr., 55
Retired officer Aaron Salter was among the dead, confirmed by Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia. For 30 years, Salter had served in the police force before working as a security guard for Tops Friendly Market, according to The Daily B.
When 18-year-old Payton Gendron began randomly firing at people – first in the parking lot and then inside the supermarket, the 55-year-old was working a shift at the store. Multiple shots were fired at Gendron by Salter; however, the gunman’s tactical gear could not be penetrated by bullets.
Before hunting the other victims, the security guard was shot and killed by Gendron.
“He went down fighting. He came in; he went towards the gunfire, he went towards the fight,” Gramaglia told ABC’s “This Week,” adding that there could have been more victims if not for Salter’s actions.
Aaron Salter III, the security guard’s son, told the Daily Beast that the shooting was “a shock,” calling his father a hero who likely “saved some lives today.”
This is Aaron Salter Jr.
— Mel Orlins (@Mel_Orlins) May 15, 2022
By now, you've likely heard his story… but it's one that needs to be shared again and again.
The 55 yr old was the security guard, the hero, who fired at the suspect — trying to stop the monster.
Rest In Peace, Hero, Mr. Salter. ? pic.twitter.com/eVJP7oOyOV
Ruth Whitfield, 86
On Saturday night, retired Buffalo Commissioner, Garnell Whitfield, confirmed that his mother Ruth Whitfield was one of the shooting victims.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown told churchgoers at the city’s True Bethel Baptist Church that he saw the former commissioner looking for his mother at the shooting scene on Saturday.
Garnell Whitfield said his mother was going to visit his father at a nursing home and had stopped at the supermarket to buy a few groceries, according to Brown, however, “nobody has heard from her.” The mayor said, later 86-year-old Ruth Whitfield was returning home from visiting her husband in his nursing home when @ABC Sunday morning. Ruth was among the 10 who lost their lives. pic.twitter.com/4GBBudz4fF
Katherine “Kat” Massey, 72
A family member confirmed to The Buffalo News that the gunman killed Katherine Massey after Heyward “Tenny” Patterson, 67 For his faith and service at State Tabernacle church, Deacon Heyward “Tenny” Patterson was known in the community. When they could not walk there, he would often drive people to and from the supermarket, his friend Leonard Lane told WKYC-TV. The deacon would also help carry their groceries. When he was killed in the massacre on Saturday, Patterson was in the middle of helping someone load groceries into the trunk of a car; his grand-niece Teniqua Clark told The New York Times. “A lot of them don’t have cars, no buses. He’s just taking them home back and forth. He had a family, has a beautiful son, and they snatched him from them,” Lane said. “He loved his children, any man can see. And he loved God, that’s all that he wanted to do, help people.” Heyward “Tenny” Patterson is one of the 10 killed in Tops according to his friend Leonard. He was a man of faith and service. He was a deacon at church and would drive people who didn’t have transportation to get groceries. @wkyc @WGRZ pic.twitter.com/4hpKf9Z8PY Pearly Young, 77 When
Carr was told by the family of the 77-year-old that
“I shouldn’t have found out like that,” he told Carr. Pearly Young, 77, was killed today in #Buffalo shopping for groceries. Roberta Drury, 32 When ROBERTA DRURY: 32 YEARS OLD…WAS IN BUFFALO TO BE WITH FAMILY AND HELP BROTHER RECOVER FROM BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT… ? pic.twitter.com/gpJyvUFphE Celestine Chaney, 65 Celestine Chaney and her sister went to the supermarket to buy strawberries to make shortcakes, which
Chaney’s sister made it into the freezer to hide, when the shooting began. “But my mom cannot really walk like
This is Celestine Chaney. Marcus D. Morrison, 52 Marcus D. Morrison was a resident of Buffalo, New York. Andre MacNeil, 53 Andre MacNeil was from Auburn, New York. Geraldine Talley, 62 Geraldine Talley was from Buffalo, New York.
For 25 years She loved singing, dancing, & being with family.
She was mother, grandma, & missionary. Gone too soon ? pic.twitter.com/dQ5X9KBJCQ
Here
I’m told her granddaughter is on her way to Buffalo to be with her family.
Rest In Peace, sweet Celestine. ? pic.twitter.com/Tz2UwtZQMQ
