Chilling details about Jacksonville shooting - racist manifesto and text to dad
The racially motivated killings of three people in Jacksonville have shocked a nation and angered Florida communities.
Ryan Palmeter, 21, entered a Dollar General store in New Town, where the community of residents is mainly black. With a Glock handgun and an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle - two legally purchased guns - he opened fire on Angela Michelle Carr, 52, who was shot in her car outside.
Proceeding into the store, store employee AJ Laguerre, 19, was killed, shotand as he attempted to flee. Customer Jerrald Gallion, 29, was shot and killed as he entered the Dollar General.
All three were slain on Saturday when a gunman with swastikas painted on his rifle opened fire at the Dollar General where Laguerre worked in Jacksonville. Nobody else was injured before Palmeter turned the gun on himself and took his own life.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said: "This guy killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions. He took the coward’s way out."
England star Joe Marler reflects on lowest point after fight with pregnant wife
Ryan Palmeter killed three Black people in what the sheriff called a hate-motivated shooting at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville (@JSOPIO/Twitter)
Jacksonville shooter Ryan Palmeter shown on CCTV beginning racist murder spree (Jackson Sheriff's Office)All three of the victims killed by suspect Palmeter - sporting a weapon emblazoned with a swastika - were black. "I never thought I'd have to bury my baby brother," Quan Laguerre said Monday outside the family's house not far from the store. "They say don't question God," he said. "But I just want to know why.
The horrendous event has left the community in the Jacksonville suburb scarred due to its barbaric and discriminatory nature. So why did it happen and what do we know?
The attack was racist
"He hated Black people," Sheriff Waters said after reviewing the man's writings, which were sent to federal law enforcement officials and at least one media outlet shortly before the attack. He added that the gunman acted alone and “there is absolutely no evidence the shooter is part of any larger group."
The Sheriff added: "Plainly put, the shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people. He wanted to kill n******. That’s the one and only time I’ll use that word. I want to be very clear that there’s absolutely no evidence that the shooter is part of any large group. We know that he acted completely alone.”
Police say that the attack by a gunman on Black customers at the store is being investigated as a hate crime (Getty Images)The incident is now under investigation from the FBI, which is treating the killings as a hate crime. In light of the incident, President Joe Biden said "white supremacy has no place in America," referencing Palmeter's motivation for the attacks.
Florida State Representative Angie Nixon said: "We must be clear, it was not just racially motivated, it was racist violence that has been perpetuated by rhetoric and policies designed to attack Black people, period."
The weapon found on the scene of the shooting (AFP via Getty Images)Attorney General Merrick B. Garland: "No person in this country should have to live in fear of hate-fueled violence and no family should have to grieve the loss of a loved one to bigotry and hate. One of the Justice Department’s first priorities upon its founding in 1870 was to bring to justice white supremacists who used violence to terrorise Black Americans. That remains our urgent charge today. The Justice Department will never stop working to protect everyone in our country from unlawful acts of hate.”
"The diary of a madman"
In the wake of the brutal tragedy, police found racist writings and posts from Palmeter. Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters said that the shooter made clear in his writings that he hated Black people and that Palmeter's white supremacist ramblings read like "the diary of a madman."
Manifestos by Palmeter were left behind. "Portions of these manifestos detail the shooter’s disgusting ideology of hate," Sheriff Waters added.
A memorial set up near a Dollar General store where they were gunned down (Getty Images)Shooter spotted near university
The Dollar General is close to Edward Waters University, a historically Black establishment with around 1,000 students.
The university said Palmeter was on campus by a security guard shortly before the shooting and asked to leave when he refused to identify himself. During the shooting, Palmeter wore a bullet-resistant vest and mask and he was seen putting this on before he drove away from the university.
'So fed up of tiresome pal flirting with my husband and always putting me down'
After the incident, 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.
Sheriff Waters said Sunday that it does not appear that Palmeter intended to attack the school.
A local resident shouts as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis makes remarks during a prayer vigil for the victim (AP)Palmeter had mental health examination
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 under the state’s Baker Act in 2017 the following year.
There remains a debate in the US over gun control and whether people with a history of mental health issues should be able to purchase deadly weapons. The two guns he used in the attack were purchased legally.
Some gun control advocates also argue that people with a criminal record should not be able to purchase guns. Sheriff Waters confirmed Palmeter did not have a criminal record.
“In this situation, there was nothing illegal about him owning the firearms,” he said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis bows his head during a prayer at a vigil for the victims (AP)Palmeter texted father before the shooting
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.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
