NewsLocal NewsBuffalo Mass Shooting

Actions

Watch 'Buffalo Strong: In Remembrance' honoring 10 lives lost in the Buffalo mass shooting

TOPS SHOOTING
Posted at 3:07 PM, May 15, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-30 14:43:46-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Saturday, May 14, 2022, 10 people were killed in a mass shooting at Tops on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo.

As Western New York mourns with the ten families who lost loved ones, 7 News wishes to honor their memory.

Below are the names of the victims, along with images and what we know about them. Information including names, pictures and biographies will be updated as we learn more from families.

Watch the "Buffalo Strong: In Remembrance," our half-hour broadcast remembering each of the ten, in the video player above.

Aaron Salter

Salter, a beloved security guard and retired Buffalo Police Department officer, was a hero in the eyes of his peers at the BPD on May 14. Salter opened fire on the gunman in an attempt to stop the mass shooting, but ultimately was shot and killed. You can learn more about Salter here.

Ruth Whitfield

RUTH-WHITFIELD-2.png
Ruth Whitfield was the beloved mother of former Buffalo Fire Department Commissioner Garnell Whitfield. She was one of ten people killed in a mass shooting at Tops on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo on May 14, 2022.

Whitfield, 86, was returning home from visiting her husband in his nursing home when she stopped by Tops to pick up groceries, her son told ABC News. Whitfield's son, former Buffalo Fire Department Commissioner Garnell Whitfield, told 7 News "my mother taught us how to love unconditionally. That's how she loved us, completely." You can learn more about Whitfield here.

Roberta Drury

ROBERTA-DRURY.png
Roberta Drury, 32, was killed in the mass shooting at Tops on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo on May 14, 2022.

Drury, 32, was "vibrant and outgoing" and able to "talk to anyone," her sister told ABC News. Drury moved to Buffalo in 2010 after her oldest brother received a bone marrow transplant to treat his leukemia. She helped her brother, Christopher, run his restaurant, The Dalmatia. You can learn more about Drury here.

Deacon Heyward Patterson

HAYWARD-PATTERSON.png
Deacon Heyward Patterson was killed in the mass shooting at Tops on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo on May 14, 2022.

Pastor James Giles tells 7 News Deacon Heyward Patterson, 68, was killed in the shooting on Saturday. He was shot while in his truck in the parking lot of Tops. Patterson's family describes him as a loving person who leaves behind a wife and daughter. You can learn more about Patterson here.

Pearl Young

pearl young
Pearl Young

Pearl Young was a teacher in the Buffalo Public School district who was born in Alabama but had lived in Buffalo for decades. She leaves behind two sons and a daughter. People who knew her told ABC News they are "in shock and disbelief" at her death, saying, "she was such a beautiful, sweet woman." You can learn more about Young here.

Margus Morrison

margus
Tops mass shooting victim Margus Morrison

A father of six, Margus Morrison, 52, stopped by Tops Supermarket to pick up ingredients for dinner on Saturday. His cousin described Margus as "happy" and "full of energy." You can learn more about Morrison here.

Geraldine Talley

geraldine talley web.jpg

Geraldine Talley, 62, seen here on the right, smiling with family. She was one of nine siblings. Coming to the store with her fiancé that day, a survivor. Known as an amazing mother, aunt and sister. You can learn more about Talley here.

Celestine Chaney

celestine chaney web.jpg

Celestine Chaney, 65, a breast cancer survivor who was a the store with her older sister, shopping for her husband, according to The Buffalo News. Celestine leaves behind relatives and grandchildren as young as four. You can learn more about Chaney here.

Katherine Massey

katherine massey.jpg

Katherine Massey, 72, her family told 7 News she was a "committee of one." At 72, she even refused help mowing the lawn. Her determination is what her peers praised her for in her community activism. You can learn more about Massey here.

Andre Mackniel

andre mackneil web.jpg

Andre Mackniel, 53 of Auburn, N.Y., according to several posts on social media Andre was at Tops to buy a birthday cake for his son. He is being remembered as a beloved father, brother, uncle, and friend. You can learn more about Mackniel here.

Three others were also injured, 20-year-old Zaire Goodman and 50-year-old Jennifer Warrington were both treated and released from ECMC. 55-year-old Christopher Braden is still being treated for his injuries.