Dave Chappelle Donating Profit From Ticket Sales From Buffalo Show to Help Families Of Mass Shooting Victims
Dave Chappelle Donating Profit From Ticket Sales From Buffalo Show to Help Families Of Mass Shooting Victims
Dave Chappelle booked a show in New York over the weekend. The comedian did so with the explicit purpose of donating the funds made to the families of the victims who were affected by the recent Buffalo mass shooting.
According to USA Today, Chappelle, who booked a last-minute show in Buffalo on Sunday, told the audience on stage at the performance that he had done so to honor the victims of the racially motivated attack at a supermarket where a white gunman killed 10 people.
The show took place at Shea’s Performing Arts Center, which is a 3,019-seat venue.
“He said, and I’m paraphrasing, (he) came here to Buffalo to recognize the victims and for these families,” said Kevin Sweeney, director of marketing and communications for Shea’s Performing Arts Center.
When he finished his show, Chappelle mentioned that family members of the victims had been invited to come to witness the performance. He also said that he was donating proceeds from ticket sales to them.
Tickets for the last-minute show went on sale on the Live Nation website at 10 a.m. on June 2 and immediately sold out within an hour.
Last month, authorities confirmed that 10 people had died as a result of a racially motivated mass shooting at a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, New York.
The mass shooting suspect, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, was apprehended and charged with first-degree murder at Buffalo City Court. Gendron opened fire on the grocery store premises with the plan to kill Black people, and he was also live-streaming the shooting on Twitch.
After shooting four people outside in the parking lot, Gendron headed inside The Tops Friendly Markets. Once inside, he was confronted and shot at by an armed security guard but it hit his bulletproof vest. He then shot and kill the guard, and then “[worked] his way through the store,” said Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia. Thirteen people were shot at, including four Tops employees; 10 died and three were injured. Of all the victims, 11 were Black, and two were white.
Before being taken into custody, Gendron planned to take his own life, placing his weapon to his neck but officials convinced him to lower the rifle, which he had etched with the N-word.
Dave Chappelle Donating Profit From Ticket Sales From Buffalo Show to Help Families Of Mass Shooting Victims
