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Dominick Welch, a St. Bonaventure transfer who recently landed at Alabama as a graduate transfer in late May, will wear No. 10 next season to honor the 10 people who were killed in the Buffalo mass shooting, the team announced.
On May 14, a shooter opened fire at the Tops Supermarket on Jefferson Avenue, injuring three people and killing 10. Eleven of the 13 victims were Black, while the other two were white.
Welch, a Buffalo native, played four years at St. Bonaventure , appearing in 110 games while starting in 105. Last season, Welch averaged 12.3 points, six rebounds while shooting 41.4% from the floor as one of the top scorers in the Atlantic-10 conference.
The No. 10 was previously worn by Alabama center Charles Bediako.
Welch joins other athletes and organizations that have done special gestures to remember the lives lost in the grocery store shooting on May 14. Bills special teams player Taiwan Jones, along with some of his teammates, paid the $15,000 funeral bill for someone who was killed in the shooting.
The Bills Foundation and NFL Foundation teamed up to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to local response efforts. A combined $200,000 will go to the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, while the Bills Foundation will donate an additional $200,000 to several nonprofits addressing the timely needs of Buffalo’s East Side residents.
Bills safety Micah Hyde pledged to donate part of the proceeds from his charity softball game directly to the families of the victims and Shaq Lawson donated to the Thurman Thomas Family Foundation, which has raised six figured to help the families and Buffalo community.
