WASHINGTON (AP) — The son of an 86-year-old woman killed in the racist Buffalo mass shooting is calling on Congress to act against domestic terrorism.
Garnell Whitfield, Jr., whose mother was the oldest of the 10 Buffalo victims, challenged senators at a hearing Tuesday.
He told them: “What are you doing? You were elected to protect us.”
Ruth Whitfield was 86 years old when a gunman stormed a supermarket. Ten people were killed and three more were injured in the attack, which federal authorities are investigating as a racist act of domestic terrorism.
"My mother's life mattered, and your actions here today will tell us how much it matters to you," Garnell told the senators.
The emotional testimony came against the backdrop of intensifying Senate negotiations on a gun safety bill.
The proposals are gaining traction, but also raising concerns from Democrats and some advocacy groups who are pushing senators to do more, faster, to stem the tide of mass shootings across the nation.