BUFFALO, N.Y. — It was an emotional day in State Supreme Court as those impacted by the Tops mass shooting delivered powerful statements before the defendant, judge, and courtroom spectators.
A tearful Simone Crawley gave a victim impact statement on behalf of her family. She recalled how her grandmother, Ruth Whitfield, went to the store on May 22, 2022 to buy seeds for her garden.
"She may not have been able to plant those seeds, but the seeds she planted throughout her life were abundant," Crawley said. "Our grandmother had a strong and resilient spirit. She will not be present for our milestones, but we stand strong and determined and triumphant in ways you can never fathom."
Zeneta Everhart's son, Zaire Goodman, was shot and injured.
Everhart called the shooter a monster and a coward and said she will never forgive him. She said her son, although healed from his physical injuries, still deals with survivor's guilt and other emotional trauma from that day.
"He was working his part-time job, and then terror struck. A terrorist shot Zaire point blank in the neck. The bullet fragments tore through his body and exited his back. He miraculously survived, but his life is forever changed," Everhart said.
Shooting survivor Christopher Braden was shot in the leg. During his victim impact statement, he said he cannot get the images of that day out of his head. Braden talked about his physical challenges, stress, pain, and PTSD. He said his scars are a constant reminder of what happened on May 14 but don't define his future.
"I have night terrors that jerk me awake in the middle of the night, and I am unable to calm back down to go back to sleep. I am always on edge and hypervigilant about my surroundings," Braden said. "I spent 10 days in the hospital and endured multiple surgeries with two more surgeries to go."
Michelle Spight spoke about losing two loved ones in the shooting — her aunt, Pearl Young, and her cousin, Margus Morrison.
"The calculated manifesto that you derived, the way you started on the street I grew up on. You journeyed down my grandmother's street and wound up at Tops and killed two of my family members," Spight said.
Wayne Jones is the son of shooting victim Celestine Chaney. He said he doesn't wish the death penalty upon the shooter. He said death is the easy way out and that he wants him to live and suffer in prison.
"I watched you kill my mom. I watched you on the internet. I watched you reload and shoot her again," Jones said.
Tamika Harper is the niece of Geraldine Talley. She spoke on behalf of some of her family.
"All I can think of is could I have saved my aunt? Could I have helped her get away from the bullets," Harper said.
Harper looked directly at the shooter and said, "Do I hate you? No. Do I want you to die? No. I want you to stay alive. I want you to think about this every day of your life. Every day of your life, think about my family and the other nine families that you destroyed forever."