Pearly Young was 77 when she was killed while shopping at the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, 2022. She had spent the morning doing church service work before visiting the supermarket she frequented. Young was one of ten Black shoppers and employees shot dead that day in an attack that targeted the store’s predominantly Black neighborhood.

The shooter, an 18-year-old white male named Payton Gendron, arrived in tactical gear armed with a semi-automatic rifle. He opened fire in the parking lot and then inside the store, live-streaming part of the assault. Investigators say his actions were motivated by white supremacist beliefs and a conspiratorial great replacement ideology; authorities arrested him at the scene and later indicted him on multiple state counts, including first-degree murder as hate crimes and domestic terrorism motivated by hate.

Pearly Young’s death devastated family and community members who described profound grief and anger. If anyone knew Pearly, her routines, or was at the Jefferson Avenue Tops on May 14, 2022, please share what might help the ongoing work to remember the victims and support their families.