Six Nations man killed in Buffalo was 'sweetest, incredibly helpful' person, says friend in Ontario
A Six Nations man killed in Buffalo, N.Y., this week in a double homicide is being remembered as "an amazing artist" whose death marks "a terrible loss" for the arts as well as the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
Jordan Celotto, 37, and his partner, Michael (Mickey) Harmon, 40, were found dead in their Allentown residence on Tuesday around 4:30 p.m. ET. Celotto was from Six Nations of the Grand River, a Haudenosaunee First Nations reserve located along the banks of the Grand River in Ontario.
Buffalo's acting mayor, Christopher Scanlon, said the medical examiner's office determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma.
Scanlon told a news conference on Wednesday that both men were victims of "a tragic double homicide."
According to police, a friend of the couple went over to the house after one of the victims failed to show up for work. The friend spotted someone with a knife and called 911. Officers who went to the scene saw a man who they said cut himself before dropping the knife.
The 35-year-old suspect in the double homicide was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. As of Wednesday he was being held in hospital as a person of interest in the case.
"I know when an incident like this occurs, particularly when the victims are members of the LGBTQ+ community, one of the first inclinations is to ask whether or not this is a hate crime or anything of that nature. At this point, there's absolutely no indication of that," Scanlon said.
"However, I do want to stress the Buffalo Police Department will follow any and all leads during their investigation," the mayor added.
Sophia Mafaje, who was best friends with Celotto, fought back tears as she spoke with CBC Hamilton on Friday.
The Toronto resident said she met Celotto in 2003 when they were both 16.
"He grew up in the Niagara Region, but I met him through one of our mutual friends who went to high school with him," she said. "They went to prom together back when he thought he was still straight and my friend had a crush on him."
Mafaje said that in 2006, Celotto moved to Toronto, where she also moved, from St. Catharines, in 2012.
"He lived down the street from me, and we reconnected and just have been friends since then … in our 20s, we became the best of friends," Mafaje said.
"He was just one of the best people that I knew and he was so loving, was so helpful and would do anything for the people he loved. Jordan was the sweetest person — just an incredibly helpful person, willing to push anything aside in order to help you and help others.
"He was just an amazing artist [who] sincerely cared about the gay community and his community in Toronto, and had built so many things here before he moved over to Buffalo with his boyfriend."
'A strong pillar' with Six Nations community
Mafaje said Celotto was "a strong pillar" with his home community — the Onondaga Beaver family from Six Nations in the Grand River.
"He created many art pieces that were part of his native heritage," she said.
Arrangements are being made for Celotto to be laid to rest at Sour Springs Longhouse.
'Outpouring of love and support'
Heather La Forme, a family friend, told CBC Hamilton in a message that she and Celotto "were raised like siblings in our family, so it's like I lost my little brother."
La Forme has organized a GoFundMe to help Celotto's family "with the unexpected costs … to get him home to Sour Springs Longhouse" in Six Nations.
More than $46,000 US of the $70,000 US goal had been raised by midday Friday.
According to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Harmon was American. A separate GoFundMe for Harmon says he will be buried in Buffalo.
"Jordan's beautiful and gentle soul was tragically taken from his family, and community … for which we may never understand," La Forme wrote on the GoFundMe page for Celotto.
"A tragedy we never expected nor prepared for. To hear the community speak and post of both Jordan and Mickey and about their love for art and their community has been comforting to his parents and family. Jordan was so loved by so many — family, friends and community. We are so heartbroken over the loss in our family."
Steven Hilliard, co-founder of Hamilton-based queer events group House of Adam and Steve, paid tribute to Celotto and Harmon in a post on Instagram, describing them as "two beautiful humans."
"They were so supportive of House of Adam and Steve, and gave me so much valuable advice in the early days," Hilliard wrote. "They built such a special community and they are going to be desperately missed."
They made Buffalo a 'better place for everyone'
In Buffalo, dozens of tributes from 2SLGBTQ+ and arts groups have been posted online.
Pride Center of Western New York, in an Instagram post, said they join "the entire Western New York community in mourning the tragic deaths of Mickey Harmon and Jordan Celotto — innovators, community organizers, artists, collaborators and, most importantly, our friends.
"Mickey and Jordan touched the lives of so many, and the impact they had in the queer community is immeasurable. They simply made the Buffalo, and specifically the Allentown community, where they called home, a better place for everyone."
Buffalo-Niagara LGBTQ History Project, where Harmon was a board member, wrote on Facebook: "It's not possible to capture in words the effect that the tragic loss of Mickey Harmon has had on Buffalo's queer community, and surely on the art [world], too ... All the plans, dreams, desires, jokes interrupted in the middle of a breath.
"Nothing can make up the loss of Jordan Celotto to Buffalo and our queer community, whether we knew Jordan as a friend, an artist and DJ, and/or Mickey Harmon's partner," it added.
For The Intersection café, a business in Buffalo, "this loss is unimaginable."
In a Facebook post, the café said, "Mickey was a pillar in our community with his dedication to First Fridays, summer and Pride events, his beautiful works of art, and his passion for the wellness of the community as a whole. We mourn the loss of Mickey and Jordan."
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