Jacksonville shooter in racist attack is named as it’s revealed he bought weapons legally – latest
Police cordon off street after shooter barricades himself inside Florida store
Two men and a woman were killed in a racially-motivated shooting in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday.
The gunman, a white male in his twenties, “hated Black people”, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said. He was identified on Sunday as 21-year-old Ryan Palmeter by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office; the sheriff called him a “maniac.”
The victims were identified as Angela Michelle Carr, 52, Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr, 19, and Jarrald De’Shaun Gallion, 29.
The shooting took place at a Dollar General store just blocks from the historically-Black Edward Waters University. The gunman was initially seen near the library on the campus but security guards tried to take him into custody and he escaped.
Shortly before the shooting took place, the gunman’s parents called law enforcement to say they had found a manifesto, reported WJXT. The gunman had reportedly called his parents ahead of the attack and told them to look at his computer.
Sheriff Waters described those writings as a “disgusting ideology of hate”. He also confirmed that the three victims were Black.
The shooter, who had entered the store with an assault rifle covered in swastikas, took his own life. “His sickening ideology is not representative of the values of this Jacksonville community that we all love so much,” the sheriff said, adding that we “reject this inexcusable violence.”
Updated timeline of the tragedy, as provided by police
12.48pm – Suspect, Ryan Palmeter, arrived at the historically-Black Edward Waters University behind the library, donning a “bullet-proof vest,” gray tank top, black shorts, and latex gloves
12.57pm – The suspect left EWU.
12.58pm – EWU security followed the Palmeter out of the parking lot, as he headed toward the Dollar General.
1.08pm – The suspect “murdered the first victim” from the parking lot of the store, the sheriff said. Seconds later, he entered the store and “engaged the second victim.”
1.09pm – Suspect entered the rear door of the store, he shot at a security camera “several times” but missed; that’s when the first 911 call was made.
1.10pm – The third victim entered the store with his girlfriend
1.13pm – Palmeter shot the third victim; suspect chased a witness through the store, shooting at her, but missed and she safely exited the store from the rear door.
1.14pm – Palmeter entered the office in the store.
1.18pm – The suspect texted his father telling him to “use a screwdriver to get into my room,” where his father finds his son’s last will and testament and his suicide note on his laptop
1.19pm – Officers entered the store. They hear a single gunshot, which is when police believe the suspect killed himself.
Chilling CCTV shows Jacksonville shooter entering Florida store during deadly rampage
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy pressed on prevalence of raced-based attacks on right
When host Chuck Todd asked Mr Ramaswamy why he thinks race-based violent crimes are “a lot more pervasive on the right,” the entrepreneur replied, “I don’t think we should politicize this through partisan goggles.”
Watch the full exchange:
Gun control group reacts to shooting
Everytown for Gun Safety posted a statement in the wake of the tragedy on X:
A hateful man, enabled by Florida’s weak gun laws and emboldened by its governor’s relentless attacks on marginalized people, destroyed a community’s sense of safety and forever changed the lives of the victims and survivors.
Florida’s lax gun laws make it easy for violent racists to arm themselves with an AR-15 and other assault weapons. We must keep guns out of dangerous hands and #DisarmHate to prevent more lives from being senselessly stolen.
DeSantis is mum on whether he will visit Jacksonville after mass shooting
The Florida governor hasn’t said whether he will visit the scene of a racially-motivated mass shooting that took place in his home state on Saturday, as he has been on the campaign trail this week in Iowa, John Bowden reports.
On Saturday, CNN reported that the DeSantis campaign had been asked whether the Republican governor would change his plans, and visit Jacksonville to pay respects to the victims’ families; a spokesperson said that the campaign “would let them know”.
Read the full story:
Fatal Store Shooting Florida
Who was Ryan Palmeter, the Jacksonville shooter?
Florida voter records show Palmeter was a registered Republican.
His X profile states that he attended Oakleaf High School in Clay County.
In 2018, in his only tweet, he posted a photo of a letter from Flagler College that read “You’re In!” and he wrote the caption: “Looking forward to a bright career in Business Administration!”
Following up on his remarks in the wake of the shooting, Mr DeSantis added additional comments today
The Florida governor said that the state condemns the “horrific racially-motivated murders perpetrated by a deranged scumbag.”
Watch the full clip here:
The 2016 domestic disturbance incident
According to Sheriff Waters, Palmeter’s parents called police in 2016 to report a domestic disturbance between Ryan Palmeter and his older brother, James.
Police records — obtained by multiple outlets — indicate James Palmeter is currently serving a prison sentence for a 2017 armed robbery.
Sheriff Waters did not detail the dispute between the two brothers aside from mentioning that Ryan, who was then a teen, was not arrested at the time.
Hakeem Jeffries releases a powerful statement in the wake of the shooting
“The racist shooting in Jacksonville is the inevitable consequence of reckless public officials who coddle right-wing extremists, whitewash painful parts of our history and flood our communities with weapons of war.”
Read the full statement here:
Attorney General Merrick Garland on the shooting
“Yesterday in Jacksonville, Florida, three people were killed in a horrific act of hate. In the wake of the mass shooting, FBI and ATF agents responded to the scene and are continuing to work closely with local law enforcement on the ground. The Justice Department is investigating this attack as a hate crime and an act of racially-motivated violent extremism. The entire Justice Department extends its deepest condolences to the loved ones of the victims and to the Jacksonville community as they mourn an unimaginable loss.
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 terrorize 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.”