#SayTheirNames: Victims of the White Supremacist Buffalo Shooting

We wanted our first post about the tragic murders in Buffalo to be about those who lost their lives. We send much love to them and their families and will continue to fight for them and against the elements responsible for this.

On May 14, a ten persons were killed and three injured when a gunman opened fire at a supermarket in Buffalo, NY while livestreaming the attack on Twitch. 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron of Conklin, New York, was arrested at the scene and charged with first-degree murder. A manifesto purported to have been written by Gendron was posted online and describing him as a white supremacist and voicing support for the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, which says that the White race is being “replaced” in society by nonwhites and the effort must stop. This theory has been parroted by many on the far and mainstream right from neo-fascists who participated in Charlottesville to politicians like Rep. Elise Stefanik to television commentators like Tucker Carlson, a longtime promoter of neo-fascist and White supremacist campaigns. It also inspired Brenton Tarrant to commit the New Zealand mosque shootings on March 15, 2019, and he in turn was named as an inspiration to Gendron, according to the manifesto. The Buffalo mass shooting has been labeled not just a hate crime but an act of domestic terrorism.

Below are those who lost their lives Saturday afternoon.

Ruth Whitfield, 86
Ruth Whitfield is the son of Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield who described his mother’s devotion to her family, especially her husband, whose health has been declining over the past eight years.

“She was there just about every day, taking care of him, making sure he was well cared for by the staff, washing, ironing his clothes, making sure he was dressed appropriately, making sure his nails were cut and clean and shaved,” he said. “All of that. Every day.”

Pearly Young, 77
Pearly Young, an Alabama native, ran a food pantry in the Central Park neighborhood for 25 years, feeding people every Saturday. She was a mother, grandmother and missionary. She taught children as a substitute teacher in the Buffalo School District and was heavily involved in her church community, her sister, Mary Craig, told ABC News.

“She loved her students, and they loved her back,” a statement from her family read.

Aaron Salter, 55
Aaron Salter was a retired Buffalo Police Lieutenant working as store’s security guard, He was armed and fired upon the shooter after he had killed three people, but Gendron was wearing tactical gear and body armor. He is being called a hero for his actions.

Katherine Massey, 72
Katherine Massey used to write for the Buffalo News and was a strong advocate for civil rights and education. One year ago, Massey (who also wrote for Buffalo Challenger and Buffalo Criterion) wrote this letter advocating for more federal regulation of firearms. She was spurred by the shooting of Erie County Legislator April Baskin’s cousin, who was fatally gunned down near her district office, calling it “another gut-wrenching account of the escalating gun violence in Buffalo and many major U.S. cities.”

Deacon Heyward Patterson, 67
Deacon Heyward “Tenny” Patterson was killed. Patterson would often help drive people who needed transportation to the store. He was called a man of the community.

Celestine Chaney, 65
Celestine Chaney was a grandmother to six and had one great-grandchild. She was also a cancer survivor.

Roberta A. Drury, 32
Roberta Drury is the youngest victim. She moved to Buffalo in 2010 to care for her brother who had been diagnosed with leukemia, his family and local restaurant.

Margus D. Morrison, 52
Margus Morrsion was a security guard for many years and most recently as a bus aide with the Buffalo Public Schools. He had three children.

Andre Mackneil, 53
Andre Mackneil is from Auburn, New York, where Harriet Tubman made her home. He was at Tops to by a birthday cake for his son who had turned 3.

Geraldine Talley, 62
Geraldine Talley had been described as an expert baker. She was with her fiancé when the shooting started and got seperated.