‘This is my neighborhood, these are my people, I just want to do something,’: Buffalo woman serves food

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WHEC) — The last few days have been traumatic for the Buffalo community after a gunman walked into the Tops on Jefferson Avenue Saturday and killed 10 people.

Monday night, the community set up memorials and handed out food in support of everyone affected by the significant tragedy. People of the Queen City have really shown up for their neighborhood.

One Buffalo woman named Kicia Hughes made free sandwiches for anyone who was hungry. With an ironing board as a table and fixings to make turkey sandwiches, she said she grabbed what she could from home to help because she would do anything for her community.

"I went to Family Dollar and bought some food I looked for a little table and they didn’t have any so I bought an ironing board," Hughes said. "You do what you have to do to make it work that’s how it is out here."

Many community groups handed out water, and all sorts of food. They even made "to go" bags for anyone who needed it. Community members are trying to heal, trying to wrap their minds around why this horrific event happened.

Buffalo Police, Erie County Sheriff John Garcia and other law enforcement officials held a briefing on Monday afternoon.

"There’s a lot of digital footprint electronics that we’ll have to go through," Garcia said. "So that process is ongoing. Information has also come as a result of some of this investigation that the individual was here a few months ago back in early March."

"I walked around today and this individual that came here and tried to divide the City of Buffalo and Erie County did not succeed," said Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.

Hughes said, while police and law enforcement do their jobs, she says she wants to do hers, and that’s taking care of her community.

"If I’m just sitting or anything this is my neighborhood, these are my people, I just want to do something that’s all," Hughes said.

During that media briefing Monday night, we were told that the medical examiner is performing autopsies on all of the victims and it should be completed by Wednesday.

As for Hughes, she said that she’ll be out here every day trying to help.