TRIBUTES poured in for hero ex-cop who tried to stop a mass shooting in New York.
The security guard was among at least ten people to die in the live-streamed attack in the Tops store.
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Who is Aaron Salter Jr?
Aaron Salter Jr was an ex-cop and victim of the mass shooting in Buffalo, New York.
Aaron, a security guard, sprung into action when the gunman attacked Tops Friendly Market and opened fire.
He heroically attempted to stop the shooter but lost his life in the process.
Speaking to The Daily Beast, his son Aaron Salter III said: “Today is a shock.
“I’m pretty sure he saved some lives today. He’s a hero.”
Other tributes came from the mayor and former colleagues for Aaron’s bravery.
Johnny Juliano, Salter’s cousin, posted on Facebook: “R.I.P to my cousin Aaron “salt man “ Salter jr. A true hero who risked his life trying to defend those helpless during a racist attack/ mass shooting.
“Retired BPD who was loved by all you truely will be missed and remembered for your heroic gesture.
“May god look over our family during this hard time and please pray for us and the families of all the other victims in this tragedy. Pray for Buffalo!”
What happened at Tops Friendly Market?
On May 14, 2022, a young man walked into Tops Friendly Market and opened fire on the unsuspecting shoppers.
Payton Gendron was carrying a rifle and began shooting at around 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon.
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John Garcia, Sheriff for Erie County, explained that Gendron had driven five hours to reach this specific area of New York, which has a predominantly black population.
He entered the store in full tactical gear and a camera through which he live-streamed the event on the social platform Twitch – which took the video down two minutes in.
At least ten people lost their lives and three more were injured in the mass shooting.
Identified along with Aaron Salter Jr were 86-year-old Ruth Whitfield and Pearl Young, 77.
The police responded and entered the store where they were met with Gendron holding a gun to his neck, according to Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.
Gramaglia told reporters: “Buffalo police personnel — two patrol officers — talked the suspect into dropping the gun.”
“He dropped the gun, took off some of his tactical gear, and surrendered at that point. And he was led outside, put in a police car.”
Who is Payton Gendron?
The suspect was identified as 18-year-old Payton Gendron and was arraigned on Saturday night.
Gendron, from Conklin, New York, is thought to have driven over five hours to target the Tops store.
Rumours of a 180-page racist manifesto allegedly authored by the suspect have also been circulating but this has not been independently verified by The Sun.
Local law enforcement has pointed to a racially motivated attack as 11 of the victims were black and two were white.
Sheriff John Garcia told reporters: “This person was pure evil.
“It was a straight-up racially motivated hate crime from somebody outside of our community.”
In court, Gendron’s court-appointed lawyer said his client pled not guilty to the charge of murder in the first degree and also requested a forensics exam.
The crime is being investigated as a case of racially motivated violent extremism, according to New York governor Kathy Hochul.
The judge denied bail and Gendron will be back in court on Thursday, May 19.
