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The niece of a 62-year-old woman who was killed in the Buffalo mass shooting says there needs to be 'legislative change.'

May 18, 2022, 06:24 IST
Insider
Geraltine TalleyCourtesy of Lakesha Chapman
  • Geraldine Talley, 62, was one of 10 people killed in a mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket on Saturday, May 14.
  • Her niece, Lakesha Chapman, told Insider that the country needs "legislative change."
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Geraldine Talley, affectionately known as Gerri, routinely baked food and distributed it to the elderly throughout Buffalo's Black community on the east end of town.

"She was an avid community lover. I wouldn't say leader because, again, she kinda liked to stay in the shadows. But anything the elders in the community needed, she was there," Lakesha Chapman, the niece of Talley told Insider. Talley was the younger sister of Chapman's father.

Talley, who was 62, was born and raised in Buffalo, and worked as an executive assistant for over 30 years. She is one of 10 victims who were targeted and killed in a white supremacist terrorist attack in a Buffalo supermarket on Saturday, May 14.

Geraldine Talley (left)Courtesy of Lakesha Chapman

"We need action. We need change. We need legislative change," Chapman said.

Chapman first got news about her aunt's murder through her cousin, Tamika. Chapman said Tamika was on her way to Tops grocery store—the site of shooting— around 2:15 pm Saturday, but received a call to go back home. She drove to the store only to see a large police presence and first responders. While there she received a phone call from her mother, crying.

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Chapman said Tamika's mother told her that their aunt, Gerri, was in the store.

"I knew as soon as it happened, basically," Chapman said.

Chapman said that while she has seen reports in the news that President Biden met with the families of the victims, her family has not met with the President yet. She said she does not believe she would be interested in meeting him because, especially without any material legislative changes, nothing can fill the void of her aunt.

"You know, it's a highlighted news story right now, but it's going to die down like it always does. Two weeks, three weeks, maybe two months later, and no one will say my aunt's name or the other victims' names," Chapman said. "This guy just murdered our family members and he's, you know, escorted outside like he's the victim. It's painful. It hurts."

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