Buffalo market set to reopen after 10 killed in racist attack

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo supermarket where 10 Black people were killed by a white gunman is set to reopen its doors to the public Friday, two months after the racist attack.

A moment of silence and prayer was scheduled to be held Thursday at Tops Friendly Market to honor the victims, employees and community impacted by the May 14 mass shooting, with a ceremonial reopening of the overhauled store before customers return Friday, the company said.

Ten people were killed when a then-18-year-old gunman wearing body armor and carrying a semiautomatic rifle opened fire on shoppers and employees. Three others were wounded in the massacre.

Investigators say the shooter was motivated by white supremacist beliefs, including a baseless conspiracy theory about a plot to diminish the influence of white people, and researched the demographics of the predominantly Black neighborhood where the market is located with the intent of killing as many Black people as possible.

On Thursday, a federal grand jury indicted the shooter, Payton Gendron, on counts including federal hate crime charges punishable by the death penalty. Federal charges were first announced last month, and Gendron has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges.

The decision to reopen the store rather than relocate it has been met with mixed emotions in the East Buffalo neighborhood that, beset by high poverty, fought for years to get a grocery store. Since opening in 2003, the Tops location remains

the only supermarket in the immediate area. Its closure after the shooting forced many residents to take buses to other locations or rely on stopgap measures like neighborhood giveaways to access fresh food.

“We must go on,” said Tops employee Rosalie Bishop, who has worked at the store for 12 years. She wants the store open again — and never for a moment

considered not returning to work with colleagues who

she considers family.

“The store is there for a reason. The store is still there for a reason,” said Bishop, 58, who was on her way to work when the shooting happened and said she’s still processing her near miss. “The people will come back. They might not come today or tomorrow, but they will come back.”

Other neighbors say reopening isn’t the best path forward.

Suggestions to local media and on social networks include turning the site into a park or recreational center that would bring the community together, or having several supermarkets that are more dispersed throughout Buffalo’s East Side.

Mayor Byron Brown said he was apprehensive while first touring the remodeled store but believes the overhaul will be helpful to customers.

“I realize that not everyone will feel comfortable returning to the store,” he said in a statement, adding that he is encouraging other retailers to serve the area.

“None of us will ever forget the cruel, racist attack,” Brown said. The reopening is a step toward

healing, he said.