Aaron Salter Jr. (22 September 1966 - 14 May 2022) was an American security guard and former police officer who was killed during the 2022 Buffalo shooting.
Biography[]
Salter served on the Buffalo Police Force for several years before retiring in 2018 and going to work at the Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo as a security guard. He was still well respected on the police force and had a son, Aaron III, and a daughter, Latisha.
On 14 May 2022, white supremacist Payton Gendron shot four people outside the store before entering and opening fire on those inside. Salter was on duty at the time and drew his gun and fired at Gendron. Salter fired multiple shots, but Gendron was unharmed due to his body armour and returned fire, killing Salter. Although Salter failed to stop Gendron, his actions bought time for other employees and customers to barricade themselves in the break room, saving their lives.