Heyward Tenny Patterson, 67, was killed on May 14, 2022, while helping someone with groceries in the parking lot of the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, New York. A regular at that store who often provided rides and assistance to neighbors, Patterson was among the first victims when an attacker opened fire in the parking lot and then moved into the supermarket.

The attack killed ten people in all. Authorities have said the alleged gunman traveled to the neighborhood intending a racially motivated assault and used a legally purchased AR-15-style rifle that had been illegally modified; he was taken into custody at the scene and later indicted on first-degree murder charges. Patterson was remembered as a deacon and a man of deep faith who left behind a family that included a 12-year-old son.

Who in the community knew Heyward Patterson or saw him at the Tops who can share memories or information about that afternoon?