© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

A memorial service will be held today for 10 dead in Buffalo shooting

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

It started as a normal busy Saturday at the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, N.Y. People doing their weekly grocery shopping or picking up food for Sunday dinner - until around 2:30, when a white gunman dressed in tactical gear opened fire first in the parking lot and then inside the store. Ten people died. Three were wounded. Of the victims, 11 were Black. Officials say the crime was motivated by racism. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown told NPR that one of the victims was a retired police officer, Aaron Salter, who was working as a security guard in the supermarket. The mayor said Salter confronted the gunman and fired at him to protect shoppers, but the shooter was protected by his body armor and instead killed Salter. The mayor called the security guard a hero. Mayor Brown also said that another victim was the mother of the city's retired fire commissioner, Garnell Whitfield. The Buffalo News reported that Whitfield called his mother God-loving and a mother to the motherless. The news outlet also identified Katherine Massey as one of the dead. Massey's sister called her a beautiful soul. Mayor Brown said there will be a memorial service held for the victims today and that grief counselors would be provided to help families get through this difficult time. Stay tuned to NPR News and npr.org throughout the day as we learn more about the victims and for the latest updates on the investigation in Buffalo.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.