In August of 2010, a gunman opened fire outside downtown's City Grill restaurant, leaving four people dead in one of the most shocking episodes in recent Buffalo history. A victim's widow recalls the tragedy in a new book, My Testimony.
"It was hard. I really didn't get a chance to mourn," said Tanisha Mackin, who lost her husband Danyell Mackin during the shooting spree. The incident's brazen violence grabbed national attention.
"Every time I turned around, I would see it on TV or a media outlet was trying to get an interview with me."
The book, she says, shows "the trials and tribulations I've been through over the past five years."
"I'm in a different space now, so I decided to write this book."
Danyell and Tanisha were at the City Grill that night to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
"I explain to everybody that I watched life and death. I watched him go from having a good time to, the next thing I know, passing away."
Danyell Mackin Jr. was just six years old at the time of his father's death. He has written a children's book called Fatherless Son.
Tanisha says her son is doing well, though "He has his moments." She tells him, "It will probably be hard on us for the rest of our lives. It's a lifelong process."
The Mackin Project was created with the goal of helping families who have lost loved ones through violence.
"I tell everybody, life is too short," Tanisha Mackin said. "My message is live life to the fullest."
