Mayor Adams speaks at funeral for Ruth Whitfield, oldest person killed in Buffalo mass shooting

BUFFALO, N.Y. — New York City Mayor Eric Adams spoke at the funeral service for Ruth Whitfield, the final victim of the Buffalo mass shooting to be laid to rest, on Saturday. 

Whitfield, 86, was the oldest person killed in the racially-motivated attack at a Tops supermarket on May 14. 

Adams, adding his name to those calling for action, said gun violence is devastating communities across America. 

“There is a loud chorus across our country that is saying enough is enough, and we want to mobilize this country to move in a direction that our babies should not be shot while in school, that our loved ones should not be shot while in supermarkets,” Adams said. 

Adams said co-conspirators of gun violence should be held accountable. He singled out the National Rifle Association, saying the group was “celebrating the proliferation of guns” at its convention this weekend as the country mourns recent mass shootings.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff also attended the service. Harris said the nation is experiencing an “epidemic of hate.”

“What happened here in Buffalo, in Texas, in Atlanta, in Orlando, what happened at the synagogues. And so this is a moment that requires all good people, all God-loving people, to stand up and say we will not stand for this. Enough is enough,” Harris said. 

Harris also met with victims’ families and laid flowers at the memorial outside the still-closed Tops market.