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Post by Admin on Aug 27, 2023 5:59:15 GMT
A masked white man fatally shot three people inside a Jacksonville, Florida, Dollar General store in a predominately Black neighborhood on Saturday in a deliberate attack after leaving behind racist writings, officials said. The shooter then killed himself.
“He hated black people,” Sheriff T.K. Waters told a news conference. “There is absolutely no evidence the shooter is part of any larger group.”
Waters said the shooter, who was in his 20s, used a Glock handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle with at least one of the firearms painted with a swastika. He was wearing a bullet-resistant vest.
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Post by Admin on Aug 27, 2023 13:25:04 GMT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three people are dead after what Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said was a “racially-motivated” shooting that is being called a hate crime by the FBI at a Dollar General on Kings Road that prompted heavy police and SWAT response in Northwest Jacksonville. The sheriff confirmed that the man who killed numerous people in a mass shooting with an AR-15, which had swastikas drawn on it and a Glock was seen on Edward Waters University’s campus moments before gunfire erupted. The shooter, who has not been identified, lives in Clay County with his parents, Waters said. He was involved in a domestic call with no arrests in 2016 and was also confined through the Baker Act in 2017, according to the sheriff. According to Waters, two Black men and a Black woman were killed. The shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot, and no one else was injured, the sheriff said. Just after 11:30 a.m., Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook told the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office that the shooter left the Clay County area and was headed to Jacksonville. By 1:18 p.m., the shooter sent a text to his father, telling him to check his computer, Waters said. That’s when the shooter’s parents called the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and told deputies they found a manifesto in their Oakleaf home. Waters said three manifestos were written that expressed a “disgusting ideology of hate.” They were written, according to the sheriff, to the media, his parents and federal agents. “To plainly put, this shooting was racially motivated and he hated Black people,” Waters said. “This is a dark day in Jacksonville. Any loss of life is tragic, but the hate that motivated the shooter’s killing spree adds an additional layer of heartbreak.” Sherri Onks, special agent in charge of the Jacksonville FBI office, said that federal officials are opening a civil rights investigation into the shooting. The FBI plans to pursue it as a hate crime. “Hate crimes are always and will always remain a top priority for the FBI because they are not only an attack on a victim, they’re also meant to threaten and intimidate an entire community,” Onks said. Waters also confirmed that the shooter was spotted putting on a mask and ballistics vest at EWU before heading to Dollar General. Campus security attempted to catch the shooter but he got away.  EWU officials sent out an alert to students about the situation as they were told to remain in their residence halls until the scene was cleared. The sheriff said the shooter’s intentions were to target a “certain group of people.” “I don’t know that the targets were specific, but I know that any member of that race, at that time, was in danger,” Waters said. Deegan also addressed the media at the conference saying, “We must do everything we can to dissuade this type of hate.” Waters said there is no evidence that the shooter is associated with any hate groups. “This is unacceptable,” Deegan said when she spoke to News4JAX at the scene. “One shooting is too much but these mass shootings are really hard to take.” Deegan was talking with officials and District 13 State Representative Angie Nixon, who represents the neighborhood as she learned what happened. |
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Post by Admin on Aug 28, 2023 0:42:37 GMT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A 21-year-old white man fatally shot three Black people in Florida with guns he bought legally despite once being involuntarily committed for a mental health exam, the local sheriff said Sunday.
Ryan Palmeter shot one of his victims as she sat in her car outside a Jacksonville store; another just after he entered the store, and the third minutes later, Jacksonville’s sheriff said.
Palmeter used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a Glock handgun in the shooting, Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a news conference.
Palmeter had legally purchased his guns even though he had been involuntarily committed for a mental health examination in 2017. Palmeter killed himself after killing the three victims.
Waters identified those shot in Saturday’s attack at a Dollar General as Angela Michelle Carr, 52, who was shot in her car; store employee A.J. Laguerre, 19, who was shot as he tried to flee; and customer Jerrald Gallion, 29, who was shot as he entered the store in a predominantly Black neighborhood.
Palmeter, who lived with his parents in neighboring Clay County, texted his father during the shooting, and told him to break into his room, Waters said. The father then found a suicide note, a will, and writings Waters described as racist.
Waters said the guns were purchased in April and in June, with the dealers following all the laws and procedures, including background checks. Because Palmeter was released after his mental health examination, that would have not shown up on his background checks.
“Therein lies the difficulty. When a person grabs a hold of a gun with hateful intentions, it is very difficult to stop that from happening,” the sheriff said.
On Saturday shortly before 1 p.m., Palmeter parked at Edward Waters University, an historically Black college less than a mile (kilometer) from the Dollar General. The sheriff said he posted a TikTok video of himself donning a bullet-resistant vest and gloves. It was about this time that a university security guard spotted Palmeter and parked near him. He said it appears that Palmeter did not intend to attack the school.
“He had an opportunity to do violence at (Edward Waters) and did not. There were people in very close proximity,” the sheriff said.
Palmeter drove off and the security guard flagged down a Jacksonville sheriff’s officer who was about to send out an alert to other officers when the shooting began at the store.
The sheriff said Palmeter, wearing his vest covered by a shirt, gloves and a mask, first stopped in front of Carr’s vehicle and fired 11 shots with his rifle through her windshield, killing her.
He entered the store and turned to his right, shooting Laguerre, video shows. Numerous people fled through the back door, the sheriff said. He chased after them and fired, but missed. He went back inside the store and found Gallion entering the front door with his girlfriend. He fatally shot Gallion.
He then chased a woman through the store and fired, but missed.
About a minute later, Palmeter entered the store’s office and texted his father, telling him to use a screwdriver to break into his room. There, his father found the writings, which Waters called “quite frankly, the diary of a madman.”
“He was just completely irrational,” Waters said. “But with irrational thoughts, he knew what he was doing. He was 100% lucid.”
Eleven minutes after the shooting began, and as police entered the store, Palmeter killed himself.
“We must say clearly and forcefully that white supremacy has no place in America,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Sunday. “We must refuse to live in a country where Black families going to the store or Black students going to school live in fear of being gunned down because of the color of their skin.”
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for the GOP nomination for president and who has loosened gun restrictions in Florida, was loudly booed as he addressed a vigil drawing about 200 people Sunday evening. Ju’Coby Pittman, a Jacksonville city councilwoman who represents the neighborhood where the shooting happened, stepped in to ask the crowd to listen.
“It ain’t about parties today,” she said. “A bullet don’t know a party.”
DeSantis said that on Monday the state would be announcing financial support for security at Edward Waters University and to help the affected families, calling the gunman a “major league scumbag.”
“What he did is totally unacceptable in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said. “We are not going to let people be targeted based on their race.”
Earlier Sunday, the pastor of a church near the site of the shooting told congregants to follow Jesus Christ’s example and keep their sadness from turning to rage.
The latest in a long history of American racist killings was at the forefront of services at St. Paul AME Church, about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from the crime scene. Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan wept during the service, while other attendees focused on Florida’s political rhetoric and said it has fueled such racist attacks.
“Our hearts are broken,” the Rev. Willie Barnes told about 100 congregants. “If any of you are like me, I’m fighting trying to not be angry.”
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Post by Admin on Aug 28, 2023 14:49:54 GMT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered Sunday at prayer vigils and in church, in frustration and exhaustion, to mourn yet another racist attack in America: this one the killing of three Black people in Florida at the hands of a white, 21-year-old man who authorities say left behind white supremacist ramblings that read like “the diary of a madman.” Following services earlier in the day, about 200 people showed up at a Sunday evening vigil a block from the Dollar General store in Jacksonville where officials said Ryan Palmeter opened fire Saturday using guns he bought legally despite a past involuntary commitment for a mental health exam. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — who is running for the GOP nomination for president, who has loosened gun laws in Florida and who has antagonized civil rights leaders by deriding “wokeness " — was loudly booed as he addressed the vigil. Ju’Coby Pittman, a Jacksonville city councilwoman who represents the neighborhood where the shooting happened, stepped in to ask the crowd to listen. “It ain’t about parties today,” she said. “A bullet don’t know a party.” DeSantis cancels SC campaign travel, returns to Florida facing tropical storm and shooting aftermath DeSantis said that on Monday the state would be announcing financial support for security at Edward Waters University, the historically black college near where the shooting occurred, and to help the affected families. He called the gunman a “major league scumbag.” “What he did is totally unacceptable in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said. “We are not going to let people be targeted based on their race.” Sheriff T.K. Waters identified those killed as Angela Michelle Carr, 52, who was shot in her car; store employee A.J. Laguerre, 19, who was shot as he tried to flee; and customer Jerrald Gallion, 29, who was shot as he entered the store in a predominantly Black neighborhood. Gallion attended St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Bishop John Guns told the crowd. He was the 33rd murder victim in the 27 years Guns has been there, he said.  “In two weeks I have to preach a funeral of a man who should still be alive,” Guns said. “He was not a gangster, he was not a thug — he was a father who gave his life to Jesus and was trying to get it together. “I wept in church today like a baby because my heart is tired. We are exhausted.” The latest in a long history of American racist killings unfolded early Saturday afternoon after Palmeter first parked at Edward Waters University. The sheriff said a video posted on TikTok with no timestamp showed Palmeter donning a bullet-resistant vest. A university security guard spotted Palmeter and parked near him. Palmeter drove off and the security guard flagged down a Jacksonville sheriff’s officer who was about to send out an alert to other officers when the shooting began at the store. Palmeter used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a Glock handgun in the shooting, Waters said. He had legally purchased the guns in recent months even though he had been involuntarily committed for a mental health examination in 2017. Because Palmeter was released after the examination, that would have not shown up on his background checks. Palmeter killed himself as police arrived, about 11 minutes after the shooting began. Palmeter lived with his parents in neighboring Clay County. He texted his father during the shooting and told him to break into his room, Waters said. The father then found a suicide note, a will and the racist writings Waters described as “quite frankly, the diary of a madman.” “He was just completely irrational,” Waters said. “But with irrational thoughts, he knew what he was doing. He was 100% lucid.” The sheriff said Palmeter, wearing his vest covered by a shirt, gloves and a mask, first stopped in front of Carr’s vehicle and fired 11 shots with his rifle through her windshield, killing her. He entered the store and turned to his right, shooting Laguerre, video shows. Numerous people fled through the back door, the sheriff said. He chased after them and fired, but missed. He went back inside the store and found Gallion entering the front door with his girlfriend. He fatally shot Gallion. He then chased a woman through the store and fired, but missed. |
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Post by Admin on Aug 29, 2023 1:20:56 GMT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A white man wearing a mask and firing a weapon emblazoned with a swastika gunned down three Black people Saturday in a racist attack in Jacksonville, Florida. The shooter, who had also posted racist writings, then killed himself. Here’s what is known about the killings:  WHERE AND WHEN DID THE SHOOTING TAKE PLACE? The shooting happened Saturday afternoon at a Dollar General store in New Town, a predominantly Black neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. The city has almost 1 million residents and lies just south of the Georgia border. About a third of Jacksonville’s residents are Black. Just last week, a city council committee pulled funding for the mayor’s chief of diversity and inclusion — the first time the city would have had such a position. The store where the shootings took place is near Edward Waters University, a historically Black school with about 1,000 students. The school said the man was spotted on campus by a security guard shortly before the shootings and asked to leave when he refused to identify himself. He was seen putting on his bullet-resistant vest and mask before he drove away. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said Sunday that it does not appear the assailant intended to attack the school. The Dollar General store where the shootings occurred is a short walk for residents of Grand Park, a Jacksonville neighborhood of modest brick and cinderblock homes. Darlene Neal, who has lived there for three decades, said many residents of the largely Black neighborhood struggle with poverty. WHO ARE THE VICTIMS? Angela Michelle Carr, 52, was shot in her car outside the Dollar General; store employee A.J. Laguerre, 19, was shot as he tried to flee; while customer Jerrald Gallion, 29, was shot as he entered the store. No one else was injured. This undated selfie taken and provided by Sabrina Rozier shows Rozier, left, and Jerrald Gallion. Gallion was killed, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, when a 21-year-old white man opened fire at Black shoppers at a store in Florida with guns he bought legally despite once being involuntarily committed for a mental health exam. (Sabrina Rozier via AP) This undated selfie taken and provided by Sabrina Rozier shows Rozier, left, and Jerrald Gallion. Gallion was killed, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, when a 21-year-old white man opened fire at Black shoppers at a store in Florida with guns he bought legally despite once being involuntarily committed for a mental health exam. (Sabrina Rozier via AP) WHO WAS THE SHOOTER? Ryan Palmeter, 21, who lived in neighboring Clay County with his parents. Sheriff Waters said Palmeter had been involved in a 2016 domestic violence incident that did not lead to an arrest and was involuntarily committed for a 72-hour mental health examination the following year. Palmeter used two guns — a Glock handgun and an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle. Waters said they were purchased legally earlier this year. WHAT MOTIVATED THE ATTACK? Racism. During the attack, Palmeter texted his father and told him to break into his room and check his computer. There, the father found a suicide note, a will and racist writings from his son. The family notified authorities, but by then the shooting had already begun, the sheriff said. Officials say there were writings to his family, federal law enforcement and at least one media outlet. Sheriff Waters said that the shooter made clear in his writings that he hated Black people. HOW WAS EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITY AFFECTED? After the shooting, the school was put on lockdown for several hours and the students were kept in their dorm rooms for their safety. The school says no students or staff were involved in the shooting. |
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