Six Nations man killed in Buffalo was 'sweetest, incredibly helpful' person, says friend in Ontario

Desmond Brown · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 2:22 PM EST | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

A Six Nations antheral killed successful Buffalo, N.Y., this week successful a treble homicide is being remembered arsenic "an astonishing artist" whose decease marks "a unspeakable loss" for the arts arsenic good arsenic the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Jordan Celotto, 37, and his partner, Michael (Mickey) Harmon, 40, were recovered dormant in their Allentown residence connected Tuesday astir 4:30 p.m. ET. Celotto was primitively from Six Nations of the Grand River, a  Haudenosaunee First Nations reserve located on the banks of the Grand River successful Ontario.

Buffalo's acting mayor, Christopher Scanlon, said the aesculapian examiner's bureau determined the origin of decease to beryllium blunt unit trauma.

Scanlon told a quality league connected Wednesday that some men were victims of "a tragic treble homicide."

According to police, a person of the mates went implicit to the location aft 1 of the victims failed to amusement up for work. The person spotted idiosyncratic with a weapon and called 911. Officers who went to the scene saw a antheral who they said chopped himself earlier dropping the knife.

The 35-year-old fishy successful the treble homicide was taken to a adjacent infirmary for treatment. As of Wednesday helium was being held successful infirmary arsenic a idiosyncratic of involvement successful the case.

"I cognize erstwhile an incidental similar this occurs, peculiarly erstwhile the victims are members of the LGBTQ+ community, 1 of the archetypal inclinations is to inquire whether oregon not this is simply a hatred transgression oregon thing of that nature. At this point, there's perfectly nary denotation of that," Scanlon said.

"However, I bash privation to accent the Buffalo Police Department volition travel immoderate and each leads during their investigation," the politician added.

Sophia Mafaje, who was champion friends with Celotto, fought backmost tears arsenic she spoke with CBC Hamilton connected Friday.

Mafaje, a Toronto resident, said she met Celotto successful 2003 erstwhile they were some 16.

"He grew up successful the Niagara Region, but I met him done 1 of our communal friends who went to precocious schoolhouse with him," she said. "They went to prom unneurotic backmost erstwhile helium thought helium was inactive consecutive and my person had a crush connected him."

Mafaje said that successful 2006, Celotto moved to Toronto, wherever she besides moved, from St. Catharines, successful 2012.

"He lived down the thoroughfare from me, and we reconnected and conscionable person been friends since past … successful our 20s, we became the champion of friends," Mafaje said.

"He was conscionable 1 of the champion radical that I knew and helium was truthful loving, was truthful adjuvant and would bash thing for the radical helium loved. Jordan was the sweetest person — just an incredibly adjuvant person, consenting to propulsion thing speech successful bid to assistance you and assistance others.

"He was conscionable an astonishing creator [who] sincerely cared astir the cheery assemblage and his assemblage successful Toronto, and had built truthful galore things present earlier helium moved implicit to Buffalo with his boyfriend."

'A beardown pillar' with Six Nations community

Mafaje said Celotto was "a beardown pillar" with his location community — the Onondaga Beaver household from Six Nations successful the Grand River. 

"He created galore creation pieces that were portion of his autochthonal heritage," she said. Arrangements are being made for him to beryllium laid to remainder astatine Sour Springs Longhouse successful Cayuga, which is wherever his people is from, Mafaje added.

'Outpouring of emotion and support'

Heather La Forme, a household friend, told CBC Hamilton successful a connection that she and Celotto "were raised similar siblings successful our family, truthful it's similar I mislaid my small brother."

La Forme has organized a GoFundMe to assistance Celotto's household "with the unexpected costs … to get him location to Sour Springs Longhouse" successful Six Nations. More than $46,000 US of the $70,000 US extremity had been raised by midday Friday.

According to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Harmon was American. A abstracted GoFundMe for Harmon says helium volition beryllium buried successful Buffalo.

"Jordan's beauteous and gentle psyche was tragically taken from his family, and assemblage … for which we whitethorn ne'er understand," La Forme wrote connected the GoFundMe leafage for Celotto. 

"A calamity we ne'er expected nor prepared for. To perceive the assemblage talk and station of some Jordan and Mickey and astir their emotion for creation and their assemblage has been comforting to his parents and family. Jordan was truthful loved by truthful many — family, friends and community. We are truthful heartbroken implicit the nonaccomplishment successful our family."

Steven Hilliard, co-founder of Hamilton-based queer events group House of Adam and Steve, paid tribute to Celotto and Harmon successful a station connected Instagram, describing them arsenic "two beauteous humans."

"They were truthful supportive of House of Adam and Steve, and gave maine truthful overmuch invaluable proposal successful the aboriginal days," Hilliard wrote. "They built specified a peculiar assemblage and they are going to beryllium desperately missed."

They made Buffalo a 'better spot for everyone'

In Buffalo, dozens of tributes from 2SLGBTQ+ and arts groups person been posted online. 

Pride Center of Western New York, successful an Instagram post, said they articulation "the full Western New York assemblage successful mourning the tragic deaths of Mickey Harmon and Jordan Celotto — innovators, assemblage organizers, artists, collaborators and, astir importantly, our friends. 

"Mickey and Jordan touched the lives of truthful many, and the interaction they had successful the queer assemblage is immeasurable. They simply made the Buffalo, and specifically the Allentown community, wherever they called home, a amended spot for everyone."

Buffalo-Niagara LGBTQ History Project, wherever Harmon was a committee member, wrote connected Facebook: "It's not imaginable to seizure successful words the effect that the tragic nonaccomplishment of Mickey Harmon has had connected Buffalo's queer community, and surely connected the creation [world], too...All the plans, dreams, desires, jokes interrupted successful the mediate of a breath. 

"Nothing tin marque up the nonaccomplishment of Jordan Celotto to Buffalo and our queer community, whether we knew Jordan arsenic a friend, an creator and DJ, and/or Mickey Harmon's partner," it added.

For The Intersection café, a business in Buffalo, "this nonaccomplishment is unimaginable."

In a Facebook post, the café said, "Mickey was a pillar successful our assemblage with his dedication to First Fridays, summertime and Pride events, his beauteous works of art, and his passionateness for the wellness of the assemblage arsenic a whole. We mourn the nonaccomplishment of Mickey and Jordan."

CBC Hamilton reached retired to Global Affairs Canada for comment. This communicative volition beryllium updated if a effect is received.