Former fire commissioner Garnell Whitfield Jr. has been fighting against white supremacy just months after his mother’s death in the tragic Buffalo shooting.
According to ABC news, Garnell said he’s been dedicating his life to combatting gun violence and white supremacy in honor of his mother Ruth Whitfield. Ruth and nine other Black people were tragically killed in the racially motivated mass shooting at Tops supermarket in Buffalo, NY.
“I wouldn’t say it’s healing. Basically, you get used to crying. Anytime you stop and think about it, I don’t know what else you would do,” Garnell said about his mother’s passing. “So, being busy, and focusing on other things, helps me get through the day.”
As News Onyx reported back in May, Payton S. Gendron opened fire at a Tops located in a predominately Black neighborhood near downtown Buffalo. His disturbing actions killed ten people and wounded three more, reports confirmed at the time. He was then taken into police custody and charged with first-degree murder.
Since Garnell’s mother’s death, he’s spoken at rallies and churches to advocate for stricter gun control laws. He also reportedly testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in June, telling members to surrender their positions if they refused to confront white supremacy. The former fire commissioner drove his point home by adding that its ideologies promote traumatizing and violent actions.
The mourning man and his three siblings have been caring for their 88-year-old father, who suffers from dementia and resides in a nursing home. He told ABC News that their dad appears to be unaware that his now-deceased wife of almost seven decades was among those killed in the rampage.
Those affected by the incident additionally included an assistant store manager at Tops, Latisha Rogers. She reportedly said a 911 Erie County dispatcher hung up on her because she whispered on her call. Latisha maintained that she spoke softly due to fear of being heard by the active shooter at the store.
“I was telling her, ‘Ma’am, he’s still in the store. He’s shooting. I’m scared for my life. I don’t want him to hear me. Can you please send help?’ She got mad at me, hung up in my face,” the shaken woman recalled.
