Here Are The Victims Of The Racist Buffalo Mass Shooting
A mass shooting in Buffalo has left ten people dead.
A heroic security guard, a longtime food pantry organizer, and eight other loved ones lost their lives on Saturday when an 18-year-old white male entered a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, and shot 13 people, CNN reports. After traveling nearly 200 miles from Conklin, New York, to Buffalo, the shooter used an assault rifle to kill three people outside the supermarket and seven more inside, police said.
While authorities haven’t yet released the names of all of the victims, some of the heartbroken family members have revealed the identity of their loved ones.
Here are the victims of the Buffalo mass shooting that have been identified so far.
Aaron Salter was working as a security guard
Aaron Salter, the former Buffalo police officer, is being hailed as a hero after he lost his life while trying to defend others during the mass shooting at Tops Friendly Markets. Salter, who was working as a security guard at the store, was the first to confront the shooter, Buffalo News reports.
The guard fired multiple shots at the attacker and managed to hit him. The shooter, however, was saved by his protective tactical gear. The assailant then fired back and killed Salter.
Aaron Salter, Jr. was a retired officer from @BPDAlerts working security at the Tops market. When the shooter came in, Aaron engaged and tried to stop him. He was killed in the process, but his actions gave others time to escape harm. Aaron is a hero. Amplify his story. #Buffalo pic.twitter.com/gYxPLl2nVo
— p – Dr. Jaclyn Schildkraut (@jschildkraut80) May 15, 2022
“He’s a true hero,” Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “We don’t know what he prevented. There could have been more victims if not for his actions. He has been retired for several years. He has been a beloved member, employee of Tops here working security.”
“He's a true hero…We’re sure he saved lives yesterday.”
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia tells @GStephanopoulos that Aaron Salter, a retired police officer working security at supermarket, “went down fighting” after confronting gunman. https://t.co/PfoOosLZjf pic.twitter.com/bx4EuIVxfk
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 15, 2022
Katherine Massey was shopping when she was killed
Katherine Massey went to the store to pick up groceries but never made it back home.
“She was a beautiful soul,” her sister Barbara Massey, told the Buffalo News.
Celestine Chaney was shopping with her sister
Celestine Chaney, 65, was killed when she went to the grocery store with her sister to get strawberries for a shortcake, The New York Times reports.
Chaney’s 48-year-old son, Wayne Jones, said his aunt was able to hide in the freezer, but his mom wasn’t able to run.
“But my mom cannot really walk like she used to,” Jones told the Times. “She basically can’t run.”
Celestine Chaney, 65, was a breast cancer survivor with 7 grandkids. pic.twitter.com/DaGBmhKi5q
— Natasha ⚯͛ (@ndelriego) May 15, 2022
Roberta Drury was getting groceries for dinner
Roberta Drury is another one of the shoppers who died on Saturday. The 32-year-old went to the supermarket to get groceries for dinner.
“She was very vibrant,” her sister Amanda Drury said. “She always was the center of attention and made the whole room smile and laugh.”
Roberta Drury, 32, from Syracuse. She was in Buffalo spending time with family and to help her brother recover from a bone marrow transplant.
She leaves behind 3 siblings and her parents. pic.twitter.com/d39DTBBeCT
— Natasha ⚯͛ (@ndelriego) May 15, 2022
Pearly Young was feeding people in her community
Pearly Young ran a food pantry in her community for 25 years, according to 11 Alive news anchor Madison Carter. The 77-year-old fed people every Saturday.
She also loved to sing, dance and spend time with family. Young was shopping when she was killed.
Pearly Young, 77, was killed today in #Buffalo shopping for groceries.
For 25 years she ran a pantry where every Saturday she fed people in Central Park. Every. Saturday.
She loved singing, dancing, & being with family.She was mother, grandma, & missionary. Gone too soon 🕊 pic.twitter.com/dQ5X9KBJCQ
— Madison Carter (@madisonlcarter) May 15, 2022
Ruth Whitfield "was a mother to the motherless"
Ruth Whitfield, 86, was a mother of four.
“My mother was a mother to the motherless. She was a blessing to all of us. She loved God and taught us to do the same thing,” retired Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell W. Whitfield said.
This thread will be dedicated to the victims of the mass shooting in Buffalo.
This is Ruth Whitfield, 86. Her son, the former Buffalo Fire Commissioner, said she was on her way from visiting her husband in a nursing home and stopped at the store to get something to eat. pic.twitter.com/LDTD81QNpd
— Natasha ⚯͛ (@ndelriego) May 15, 2022
Heyward Patterson was a dedicated member at his church
Heyward Patterson was an active member at his church and served as a deacon.
Heyward Patterson, a deacon at his church, would frequently give people rides to and from the Tops supermarket and help them carry their groceries. pic.twitter.com/FKLqrnkeSA
— Natasha ⚯͛ (@ndelriego) May 15, 2022
The 67-year-old was known for frequently giving people rides to the grocery store and would often help them carry their groceries.
Andre Mackniel was purchasing a birthday cake for his son
Andre Mackniel was described as being a beloved father who was purchasing a cake for his son celebrating his third birthday.
Andre Mackniel, a beloved father, brother, uncle and friend. According to his brother, he was at Tops supermarket to buy a birthday cake for his son who just turned 3. pic.twitter.com/vf5YJeoPdt
— Natasha ⚯͛ (@ndelriego) May 15, 2022
Geraldine Chapman Talley "was always smiling"
Geraldine Chapman Talley, who leaves two adult children to cherish her legacy, was described as a gentle soul.
Geraldine Chapman Talley, 62, was described by her niece, Kesha Chapman, as a gentle soul. “She loved everybody. She was always smiling. She didn’t like confrontation. She wanted everything to be easy and full of love.”
Geraldine leaves behind her two adult children. pic.twitter.com/tM9hxKKcA6
— Natasha ⚯͛ (@ndelriego) May 16, 2022
The 62-year-old’s niece said she was a gentle soul and “loved everybody.”
Margus D. Morrison was a family man
Margus D. Morrison was a father of three children.
Margus D. Morrison, 52, was a father-of-three and was described by family and friends as a “nice person that never bothered anyone.” pic.twitter.com/da0Pu105Bu
— Natasha ⚯͛ (@ndelriego) May 16, 2022
He was described as being a “nice person that never bothered anyone.”
20-year-old- Zaire Goodman survived the shooting
Zaire Goodman, a 20-year-old employee at the store, was helping an elderly customer with her groceries outside of the supermarket when he was shot in the neck, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Goodman survived the shooting.
His mother told The Wall Street Journal that Goodman was her “only child and this is a nightmare, it’s a living nightmare.”
This is Zaire Goodman – the 20 year old who was shot in the neck at Tops and survived. He’s resting at home. #Buffalo @SPECNews1BUF pic.twitter.com/KSl4AwVZEI
— Stephen Marth (@StephenMarth) May 15, 2022
He has been recovering at home.
Police also identified two other people who survived the shooting — Jennifer Warrington and Christopher Braden.