Garnell W. Whitfield, Jr. is the former fire commissioner of the

Buffalo Fire Department The Buffalo Fire Department provides fire protection and first responder emergency medical services to the city of Buffalo, New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the ...

in Buffalo, New York and a social justice advocate. He received national attention for spreading awareness of white supremacy and domestic terrorism after his mother, Ruth Whitfield, was killed in the

2022 Buffalo shooting On May 14, 2022, a mass shooting occurred in Buffalo, New York, United States, at a Tops Friendly Markets supermarket in the East Side neighborhood. Ten people, all of whom were Black, were murdered and three were injured. The shooter, identif ...

Early life and career

Whitfield was born in Buffalo, New York to Ruth Whitfield and Garnell W. Whitfield, Sr. He started working as a

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

in the

in 1984. Throughout his career, he served as the city fire departments's chief fire administrator, deputy commissioner of administration and deputy commissioner of emergency services. In January 2010,

Mayor of Buffalo The following is a list of people who have served as mayors of the city of Buffalo in the U.S. state of New York. List of mayors Number of mayors by party affiliation History In 1853, the charter of the city was amended to include the town ...

Byron Brown appointed Whitfield as the

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

of the

after the resignation of commissioner Michael Lombardo. He was unanimously approved by the Buffalo Common Council. Whitfield retired from the Buffalo Fire Department in 2017. Governor Andrew Cuomo then appointed Whitfield as the assistant commissioner of the New York Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, where he served from September 2017 until September 2019.

2022 Buffalo shooting

His mother, Ruth Whitfield, was the oldest victim of the

that occurred at a Tops Friendly Markets supermarket in the East Side neighborhood of Buffalo. He said he had been calling his mother and trying to locate her, until he found her car in the parking lot of the Tops Supermarket where the shooting occurred. She was 86 years old when the shooting occurred. Her funeral was attended by Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband,

Douglas Emhoff Douglas Craig Emhoff (born October 13, 1964) is an American lawyer who is the second gentleman of the United States. He is married to the 49th vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris. As the first-ever husband of a vice president, Em ...

. The Vice President met with Whitfield before his mother's funeral service. In an effort to raise awareness of white supremacy and domestic terrorism in the United States, Whitfield testified in the United States Senate Judiciary Committee. Whitfield appeared on news outlets after the shooting alongside prominent civil rights attorney

Benjamin Crump Benjamin Lloyd Crump (born October 10, 1969) is an American attorney who specializes in civil rights and catastrophic personal injury cases such as wrongful death lawsuits. His practice has focused on cases such as Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, ...

, who he retained for legal counsel in the wake of shooting. In June 2022, Whitfield was featured as a speaker at the March for Our Lives protest held in Washington, D.C.

Personal life

Whitfield is married to his wife, Cassieta. They live in the East Side neighborhood of Buffalo. He is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitfield, Garnell Living people People from Erie County, New York Year of birth missing (living people)