'Love wins over hate' as Tops shooting victims remembered

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN)....The communal healing - in the wake of the May 14th, 2022 mass shootings at Tops' Jefferson Avenue supermarket - continued in a very public way Thursday.

The ceremony - attended by high ranking political leaders like Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Lettia James and Mayor Sean Ryan to everyday East Side citizens - marked the fourth anniversary of what many consider Buffalo's darkest and most tragic day when, in a racially-motivated attack and 18-year-old teenager from suburban Binghamton drove to the Jefferson Avenue Tops supermarket and shot 13 people - 10 of whom died.

"Today is all about healing," said Erie County Legislator Taisha St. Jean Tard.

The ceremony included leaders laying wreaths about monuments for the 10 victims that are part of a remembrance and healing garden Tops constructed shortly after the attacks.

As part of the ceremony - that at times felt like an old time, southern revival - Hochul announced she was allocating $3 million in state funds to help finance the construction of the official 5/14 Memorial Center at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Best Street.

Hochul had previously allocated $5 million for the project and Buffalo has chipped in $1 million.

Between $15 million and $18 million is needed to develop the center.

"May 14th cast a shadow over the city," Hochul said. "Ten people's souls were turned away but Buffalo chose courage over fear and love wins over hate."

To DeWitt Lee, a Jefferson Strong leader, Thursday's ceremony was both important and symbolic.

"We are standing here today in solidarity with the families who lost so much," Lee said. "We are standing with them to help ease their pain."

John Persons, Northeast Grocery (and Tops) CEO, said in the wake of the shootings, Tops briefly closed the store so it could be rebuilt.

But, there was no way that the store was going to stay permanently closed, Persons said.

Just the opposite, actually.

"We knew after the tragedy, there really was no decision to make," Persons said. "The decision was simple. We were going to rebuild the store and give this community something they needed and deserved."