BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — One of the victims of the May 14 white supremacist mass shooting at Tops Markets will posthumously receive his Bachelor of Arts degree this weekend.
Aaron Salter Jr., the Tops security guard and retired police officer who was killed after shooting the attacker while defending the store, will be receiving a posthumous BA in Communication Studies degree from his former school, Canisius College, during its undergraduate ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences this weekend.
Salter attended Canisius from the Fall 1984 semester through the Fall 1988 semester, returning in 2007 for an additional four courses. He was just three credits — one course — short of graduating. According to the school, he did not complete the degree at the time due to work and family demands.
Salter’s son, Aaron Salter, III, will accept the degree for his father.
Salter’s family will also be presented with his ALANA (African American, Latino/a American, Asian American, or Native American) stole, and a cord from the school’s Delta Gamma chapter of Tri-Alpha First Generation Student Honor Society.
Adam Duke is a digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of his work here.