FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TOPS SUPERMARKET SHOOTING IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK

On 2026-05-14, Representative George Latimer (D-NY-16) delivered a floor speech titled "FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TOPS SUPERMARKET SHOOTING IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK" in the House.

FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TOPS SUPERMARKET SHOOTING IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026)] [House] [Pages H3512-H3517] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TOPS SUPERMARKET SHOOTING IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Kennedy of New York was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.) General Leave Mr. KENNEDY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to submit extraneous material in the Record. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Knott). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York? There was no objection. Mr. KENNEDY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart as we commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Tops Supermarket shooting in my community of Buffalo, New York. On May 14, 2022, 4 years ago today, a racist white supremacist terrorist traveled more than 2\1/2\ hours to the only grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood on the east side of Buffalo to carry out a targeted act of pure hatred. Motivated by racism and hate in his heart, the gunman entered Tops Friendly Markets with enhanced body armor and an AR-style rifle. He shot 13 people, 10 of them fatally. On this solemn anniversary, we remember the precious souls we lost 4 years ago today: Andre Mackniel, beloved father and brother; Celestine Chaney, a cancer survivor and grandmother to six beautiful children; Geraldine Talley, a proud mother, a sister to eight siblings, and an aunt; Heyward Patterson, a deacon at the State Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Buffalo; Kat Massey, a civil rights activist, volunteer, and fierce advocate for gun violence prevention; Margus Morrison, a father and an aide for the Buffalo Public Schools; Pearl Young, a teacher in the Buffalo School District and pillar in her church community; Roberta Drury, an active community member, sister, and caregiver; Ruth Whitfield, a devoted caretaker, wife, mother, and grandmother; and Lieutenant Aaron Salter, Jr., a public servant, retired Buffalo police officer, and a hero who sacrificed his life that day to serve those around him. In just 123 seconds, those 10 innocent lives were stolen from us, marking one of the darkest days in Buffalo's history and in America's history. The perpetrator, radicalized by white supremacist content online, fired a barrage of 50 shots, hellbent on one goal: killing as many Black community members as possible, all while live streaming it to the world. It was a sick and twisted act of hatred and racist violence in America. Today is a difficult day for our community, for the people of western New York, and for our country, as we mourn those we lost due to this senseless act of racist gun violence. Yet, the carnage on that day could have been far worse if it weren't for the heroic actions of Lieutenant Aaron Salter, Jr., a 30-year veteran of the Buffalo Police Department. That afternoon, Lieutenant Salter was working as a security guard at Tops Friendly Market. When he heard the gunshots, Lieutenant Salter acted without hesitation and leapt into action to protect our community, firing at the shooter and hitting his target, but because this hate-filled terrorist was armed with enhanced body armor and tactical gear, Lieutenant Salter's shots did not penetrate, and he, too, was murdered. Lieutenant Salter died a hero, buying other patrons precious seconds to hide or escape as a result of his unwavering courage and his willingness to protect those in harm's way. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask those listening here throughout the Capitol Complex and at home to join me to pause for a moment of silence to honor the 10 individuals who should be with us here today. Mr. Speaker, because of this hateful act, Buffalo joined an ever- growing list of communities that have been scarred by mass shootings. From Newtown to Monterey Park, to Parkland, to Uvalde, and so many places in between, countless communities across our country, and to Buffalo, we are united today in mourning and in commemoration as we work to ensure that we one day will live in a world where these hateful acts will not happen. When Columbine happened 27 years ago, there was a national promise that we would do everything possible to prevent another tragedy like it, but, yet, entire generations of children have now grown up with the normalization of mass shootings. That reality cannot become normal. We must not allow this to become a permanent reality. On the fourth anniversary of this tragedy in Buffalo, we must use this opportunity to advocate for the advancement of commonsense gun violence prevention legislation in the name of every single person we have lost because of a lack of it. We must condemn acts of hateful, racist violence in all forms, and we must come together as Americans to ensure that our supermarkets, our places of worship, our schools, and everywhere else in our community are free from the scourge of gun violence. This body has a moral obligation to take action. Our charge, on both sides of the aisle, must be to enact the commonsense reforms that the vast majority of Americans overwhelmingly support in order to keep our community safe and prosperous. {time} 1750 We must enact a permanent assault weapons ban and make sure that military-grade body armor is only in the hands of our Armed Forces and law enforcement. We must crack down on ghost guns, straw purchasing, and deadly accessories that turn handguns into semiautomatic weapons. We must close the Charleston loophole. We must expand red flag laws. [[Page H3513]] We must strengthen our mental health support networks. We must reaffirm our commitment to ending the gun violence epidemic that plagues this country once and for all. Today, you will hear from Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. My colleagues from all over the country will join me in honoring the victims of the Top Supermarket shooting, condemning racially motivated violence in all forms, and calling for an end to the gun violence epidemic that plagues this country. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib). Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, as we stand here, I know the community is trying to heal as we mark the over 4-year anniversary since 10 of our Black neighbors were targeted and murdered while grocery shopping at a supermarket in Buffalo. I think it is important to understand there was intentionality here and how the killer chose the location. We all know their lives were stolen due to racism, extremism, and the unchecked epidemic of gun violence plaguing our country. I always must ask this to my colleagues: How many more families need to mourn before Congress acts? How many more children need to lose their lives before we act? Every day, people are killed by guns in mass shootings, domestic violence incidents, suicides, and preventable accidents. Entire communities are traumatized again and again by this violence. Far too often, the victims are children. I stand in honor of a 9- year-old boy in Oakland County, Michigan, who accidentally shot himself in the face with an unsecured firearm. I stand in honor of a 6-year-old girl in Detroit, Michigan, who was accidentally shot and killed by an unsecured handgun in March. Even in that same weekend, another 6-year- old girl was hospitalized after she accidentally shot herself with an unsecured firearm. In Wayne County alone, 39 children have been killed or injured since 2020 after finding unsecured firearms. It is not just mass shootings. It is also a fact that we must take measures to protect and store these guns. Protecting our loved ones, especially our babies, should not be a partisan issue. I call on this Congress to act on gun safety legislation, including the Safe Storage Saves Lives Act. It would require firearm sellers to provide every purchaser with a gun lock. I always used to raise it and show people that it cost $10 to secure the gun. The Safe Storage Saves Lives Act would be commonsense gun safety legislation. It is sitting right here in Congress, waiting for a vote. While we wait for a vote, families are grieving loved ones. Mr. Speaker, I ask and demand that our Congress have the courage to act to end this madness. Mr. KENNEDY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Latimer). Mr. LATIMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Kennedy for his compassion and his humanity. This tragedy occurred in Buffalo, and it was a racist crime against Black people in Buffalo. This crime is a crime against humanity, people of all ethnic backgrounds, and it is a crime that could happen in any place across this country. My home is 375 miles away from the site of this crime. Yet, we, too, are affected by the same policies that have allowed this tragedy to happen. The young man who committed this crime, motivated by racism and radicalized on the internet, drove 200 miles, half the distance between my home and Congressman Kennedy's home. He drove 200 miles to particularly target this supermarket in an African-American neighborhood. What depth of depravity causes a human being to do that? All of us, whether our skin is white or black, whether we trace our heritage to Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, or Europe, have to see this as a crime against all humans. It is dehumanizing to take a weapon of mass destruction into a supermarket to kill people who are shopping, who are just there doing the average thing that we all do every day. As my colleague from Michigan pointed out, there is legislation in this Chamber that needs to become law. It needs to have support not just from people of color but from those of us who represent every area and every demographic in this country. The next victims