Aaron Salter, the retired Buffalo police officer killed in mass shooting is a hero

The mass shooting at Tops Markets on Buffalo’s East Side Saturday afternoon claimed the lives of ten people and injured three others.

Information on the victims of this tragedy is limited. However, it has been confirmed that Aaron Salter, a retired Buffalo Police officer working as a security guard, was killed trying to protect those inside the grocery store.

When the gunman, 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron of Conklin, New York, entered the store, Salter shot him multiple times, but the 18-year-old’s armored plating deflected the bullets. Gendron then shot and killed Aaron Salter.

Aaron Salter Jr. was identified by his son as the beloved Tops Friendly Markets security guard and former Buffalo cop who tried to stop the teenage suspect, according to the Daily Beast.

“Today is a shock,” his son Aaron Salter III told the news site.

“I’m pretty sure he saved some lives today. He’s a hero.”

Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia also hailed Salter as “a hero in our eyes.”

“I had the pleasure of knowing him, great guy, well respected, well-liked. This is just horrific. It’s tragic. I don’t know what other words to describe it,” Buffalo Police Benevolent Association President John Evans said.

NAACP statement on racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo NY

A gunman wearing military gear opened fire with a rifle at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket in what authorities called “racially motived violent extremism,” killing 10 people and wounding three others Saturday before he was arrested.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson released the following statement on the racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo New York:

This is absolutely devastating. Our hearts are with the community and all who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy. Hate and racism have no place in America. We are shattered, extremely angered and praying for the victims' families and loved ones, as well as the entire community."