Tops supermarket reopens 62 days after shooting that left 10 people dead

BUFFALO, N.Y. — It has been just over two months since a gunman opened fire in a Buffalo supermarket, leaving 10 people dead and a community changed forever.

On Friday morning, the doors were opened for business once again at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York.

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Just before the supermarket reopened, a prayer was said that was then followed by applause. Security, workers and customers were then allowed to enter the renovated business, WIVB reported.

The store was more than a place to get groceries, it has also been a gathering place for the community for the past twenty years, The Associated Press reported.

Some said the store opened too soon after the mass shooting that left 10 people dead and three others injured. The accused shooter is accused of targeting the store because of the location and the racial makeup of the community it serves.

The shooter has been charged with hate-motivated domestic terrorism, first-degree murder and murder as a hate crime on the state level, the AP reported. He has pleaded not guilty.

He also has been indicted on 27 firearm and hate crime charges on a federal level, Forbes reported.

Tops is the only grocery store in that area of Buffalo that was considered a food desert, the AP reported.

The company started providing a free shuttle shortly after the shooting from the east Buffalo neighborhood to other stores, so people could get the food they needed.

One person held a sign Friday morning that said that “Two months is too soon to reopen these wounds,” WIVB reported.

Count Horne, an activist and retired Buffalo police officer, also said it was too soon to reopen.

“We’re pretty much shopping on people’s blood,” she said. “I think that this is more about putting people to work rather than letting them heal. … Just two months ago, these people were running for their lives,” Horne told the AP.

For others, it was welcome news when the Tops reopened, some even applying for jobs, telling WIVB that they’re not scared.

The store has been fully remodeled.

“Everything you see here was taken down to the bare walls,” Tops President John Persons told the AP. “It’s all fresh product. This is all new equipment. All throughout, from the ceiling to the floor, has been repainted or redone.”

There is also a new emergency evacuation alarm system, more emergency exits and new LED lighting outside of the store.

A memorial to the victims was installed that includes a poem dedicated to those who lost their lives. Their names, however, were not included. A sign reads, “To respect the requests of some of the victims’ loved ones names are not included on this memorial,” the AP reported.

A permanent public memorial outside of the store is also planned.

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Gunman opens fire in Buffalo supermarket People hug outside the scene after a shooting at a supermarket on Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. (Joshua Bessex/AP)

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