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"He went down fighting. He came in, he went towards the gunfire. He went towards the fight."
Aaron Salter Jr, 55
"He went down fighting. He came in, he went towards the gunfire. He went towards the fight."
Aaron Salter Jr., a retired Buffalo police officer, was killed after he confronted the gunman, who entered the store wearing military fatigues, body armor and a tactical helmet. Salter was working as a security guard and shot at the assailant, Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told ABC News. But the bullets had no effect due to the bulletproof vest the suspect wore, and the gunman returned fire, striking Salter. Gramaglia described Salter as a "true hero" who undoubtedly saved more lives during the encounter. "He went down fighting," Gramaglia said. "He came in, he went towards the gunfire. He went towards the fight."
One Tops employee, Fragrance Harris Stanfield, a mother of seven, told ABC News that if it hadn't been for Salter, she and her 20-year-old daughter, who was working at the register, would not have known the gunman was headed in their direction. When she saw Salter pull out his weapon, they knew they had to run, and they both made it out alive. Salter was a "beloved" employee of Tops, several years after he retired from the police department. "He took on a responsibility to protect the customers and the employees in the store," Gramaglia said. "And he did exactly what he signed up for."
During a Medal of Valor ceremony a few days after the massacre, President Joe Biden commended Salter, saying, he "gave his life trying to save others."
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