Beloved shop owner shot dead over pride flag displayed outside her boutique
A California store owner described as an "immovable force" was fatally gunned outside of her store by a man upset with a LGBTQ+ flag that was hanging there, local authorities said.
Laura Ann Carelton, 66, was pronounced dead at the Mag Pi store she owned in Cedar Glen on Friday night, according a press release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department shared on Saturday. The small town is located just 60 miles (96 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles.
While at the scene of the shooting, deputies learned that the suspect had fled on foot and was seen not too far. Deputies found the man armed with a handgun but when they attempted to apprehend him, "a lethal force encounter occurred and the suspect was pronounced dead."
Deputies learned that the man had made "several disparaging remarks" about a flag that was hanging outside of Carleton's store (INSTAGRAM)No deputies were injured in the incident, the sheriff's office said in the release. The man's identity has also not yet been released as an investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
Upon further investigation into the senseless killing, deputies learned that the man had made "several disparaging remarks" about a flag that was hanging outside of Carleton's store. The investigation into the crime is ongoing.
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As more towns and school districts ban Pride flags from flying, which the ACLU has deemed as an infringement of First Amendment rights in the United Stayes, lawmakers have been trying to address the recent string of violent crime associated with people being bothered by LGBTQ+ representation.
A Pride flag is displayed outside the store (INSTAGRAM)
A vigil for the store owner, known as an ally (INSTAGRAM)Laura, also known as Lauri by those she knew and loved, has been described as a "pillar" in the community and an "immovable force in her values for equality, love, and justice."
"If you knew Lauri you know she loved hard, laughed often, and nurtured and protected those she cared about," the Mountain Provisions Cooperative said in an Instagram post dedicated to the ally which included photos from a vigil made for her. "She was a force, she loved to crack jokes and wanted to live as joyful of a life as possible. We will continue to stand for the values she so selflessly stood for. Her death will not be in vain."
According to the website for her store, Laura was in a long-standing marriage and the proud mother of "a blended family of nine children, the youngest being identical twin girls."
Laura and her husband Bort were described as being "pivotal" in helping establish the Free Store for the Mountain Provisions Coop, which "provided free food and supplies for four months after the blizzard.
"Lauri put her whole heart into keeping it going as long as we could," they continued in the Instagram post. "Pay an act of kindness forward in her honor. Our community needs as much love as we can get right now."
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