On Sunday (June 5), famed comedian Dave Chappelle performed a set at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, New York.
According to ABC 7, Chappelle will donate his proceeds to the families impacted by the tragic May 14 mass shooting at a Tops grocery store. As previously reported by REVOLT, in last month’s deadly attack, a gunman entered the establishment and claimed the lives of 10 Black people during a racially motivated massacre.
While sources have reached out to reps for the comedian regarding a statement on the donation, there has been no official comment. Local NBC affiliate WGRZ 2 shared that Chappelle made the announcement to his audience at the end of his Buffalo show.
The suspected Buffalo gunman Payton Gendron was recently indicted by a grand jury on 25 counts for the hate crime. If convicted, he faces an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole. Gendron has pled not guilty to the charges. He is currently being held without bond.
Mass shootings have been on the rise in the past month. A little over a week later, on May 24, an 18-year-old walked into a Uvalde, Texas elementary school and shot and killed 21 people. Nineteen of the victims were children and two were teachers. The suspect was killed during the incident.
Similar incidents continued to happen in the following weeks.
According to Deadline, Chappelle booked the show in Buffalo at the last minute to honor the victims. The outlet spoke with Kevin Sweeney, the venue’s director of marketing and communications, who told them, “He said, and I’m paraphrasing, ‘I came here to Buffalo to recognize the victims and for these families.’”
Reports add that the sold-out event was booked just four days before it took place. Family members of the Buffalo victims were also said to be in attendance.