Tops pledges to reopen Buffalo store where 10 were killed; others offer help to grieving community

But, first, Tops is prioritizing getting its employees from the store access to counseling and support they may need and its customers access to the food they require while the grocery store is closed.

The store and its parking lot also remain an active crime scene and is being held by law enforcement agencies, according to City of Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is bringing in special equipment to help process the scene, Gramaglia said during a Sunday afternoon news conference.

Store officials cannot yet say when the location will open, noting it will stay closed until further notice.

Tops opened its Jefferson Avenue supermarket 19 years ago after residents for more than a decade had been calling for a full-service grocery store in their neighborhood, once considered a food desert.

“Tops has been committed to this community and to the City of Buffalo for decades and this tragedy will not change that commitment,” a Tops spokesperson said. “We are working to find alternatives for our customers in this community while the store is closed.”

An 18-year-old gunman from more than a three hours drive away in Broome County traveled to the store and killed 10 people and wounded three others in what law enforcement officials described as a racially motivated hate crime.

Four Tops employees were shot, including a recently retired Buffalo police officer Aaron Salter who was working security at the store and was killed, law enforcement officials said.

While the store and neighborhood are agonizing over this tragedy, it remains critical for residents in the area to have the store reopen because they do not have many other options for fresh food and produce, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

Complete coverage: 10 killed, 3 wounded in mass shooting at Buffalo supermarket

Some of the people who shop at the store also do not have the transportation to get to another grocery store.

In the meantime, Tops is working to assist in transporting area residents to alternative locations. 

It is providing a free bus shuttle service that started Sunday and will continue Monday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily from Jefferson Avenue and Riley Street to the nearby Tops on Elmwood Ave.

Tops officials said they'll be giving free food and supplies to the community through the Resource Council of WNY at 347 East Ferry St. in Buffalo.

Also at that location, Feedmore WNY will be conducting food giveaways starting 2 to 9 p.m. Monday and then 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily through at least May 25.

“As soon as we can get the store reopened and available it is going to be critically important to the well-being and sense of getting back to normal for the neighborhood,” Hochul said. “I have asked our law enforcement partners to understand that this community does not have a lot of options. We want to make sure that their lives and the disruptions of yesterday do not continue day after day and is a constant reminder of the pain that this community has endured.”

During Sunday’s service at True Bethel Baptist Church, Sen. Chuck Schumer said he was one of the officials who worked hard to bring the Tops to Buffalo’s East Side, because the community “deserved it” after years of going without a grocery store.

“But what we didn't know is how much this Tops would become a neighborhood hub and gathering place,” he said. “I'm sure many of you shop there. It's where you buy food on the way home from church, before the Bills games. It's where you see your friends and relatives and catch up.”

Frank DeRiso, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local One, which represents Tops employees, said Saturday he's had discussions with Tops executives who have said employees won’t lose out on any paychecks while the store is closed .

In the meantime, here’s who is providing a helping hand:

• Buffalo Community Fridge has stepped up to assist, opening Sunday to give out food to those in need in the Jefferson Avenue community. The organization was asking Sunday for food donations such as fresh produce, milk and eggs, cheese, baby formula and food, juice, bottled water and labeled cooked meals at its headquarters on 257 E. Ferry St., which is open to the community just a few blocks from the Tops store. 

• Scott Bieler, CEO and president of West Herr Automotive, pledged $300,000 for grief counseling and related services for the families affected by this tragedy. People Inc. will distribute the donation to the families and will be set up at Buffalo City Hall at a yet to be determined future date. “We offer our heartfelt prayers to all the families impacted and we hope in some small way that this support will help them through the grieving process,” Bieler wrote in an email.

• Uber and Lyft have offered to take people from the Jefferson Avenue neighborhood free of charge to a grocery store in another area, according to Hochul.

• Zephyr Partners, a California investment firm, and CrossCountry Mortgage have committed $50,000 for funeral expenses of the 10 people killed in the shooting. Brad Termini, CEO of Zephyr, said in an email they both felt strongly that the “victims should be honored and memorialized in a way that didn’t create unnecessary financial burden on the survivors’ families.”

• The Rev. Al Sharpton and his supporters have also pledged to help take care of funeral expenses, Hochul said.

• The state’s Office of Victim’s Services have identified $2 million to support these families as well.

• Additional support for the families affected by the shooting can be accessed through the office of Mayor Byron Brown at 716-851-4841.

• Counseling is being offered until 9 p.m. Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday at Johnnie B. Wiley Athletic Center on Jefferson Avenue. It is open to anyone, including law enforcement, traumatized by the shooting.

• Crisis Services is available by calling 716-834-3131. The NY Project Hope line is also in service to help people at 844-863-9314.

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