Sandy Hook mother says Buffalo shooting victims' families need support "after the cameras leave"
Still grieving, family members of the ten Black people massacred at a Buffalo supermarket called on the country to confront and stop racist violence.
The alleged shooter appeared in court Thursday as a grand jury indicted him on first-degree murder, which covers all 10 deaths. Prosecutors say he could face hate crime and domestic terrorism charges.
Some relatives of the victims, including the eldest daughter of 86-year-old victim Ruth Whitfield, held a press conference after the court session. Robin Harris, Whitfield's daughter, struggled for words as she recounted how the night of the shooting, they were supposed to go see a musical together.
"That racist young man took my mother away. She was my best friend. What am I to do? What am I supposed to do now?" she said.
For the victims' families, this week has been filled with a steady stream of prayer in and around Buffalo.
The support of the community during times of tragedy is something that Nelba Márquez-Greene knows something about. She was the mother of Ana Grace, one of the 20 children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.
Márquez-Greene told "CBS Mornings" that right now the victims' families need community support.
"We need to be better at finding ways to support families even after the cameras leave," she said.
"You are never going to say the right thing but you do need to show up. That's something my son said to me. He said 'I don't remember who was there in those early days, I just remember who showed up," she added.
Márquez-Greene said her message to the families is that although it feels like all is lost, they need to continue on for their families.
"We need you to be here, we need you to be here for your families and you deserve healing in your life," she said.