Gunman Targets Black People in Jacksonville Shooting That Is Being Investigated as a Hate Crime
In a horrifying incident that lasted for approximately 11 minutes, a gunman deliberately targeted Black individuals and killed two shoppers and an employee at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida. The authorities are investigating the shooting as a hate crime, as it has shaken a community that has grappled with the painful legacy of racism for years.
The shooting took place on Saturday, which coincided with the 60th anniversary of the historic March on Washington. The tragedy triggered somber vigils and renewed calls for unity from residents and officials. However, it also led to a tense appearance by the governor in a city that has been plagued by hateful incidents and an ongoing dispute over Confederate monuments.
State Senator Tracie Davis, a Democrat from Jacksonville, addressed the crowd at a vigil on Sunday morning, stating, “We have three people who are dead because they are Black. Shopping. In our community. Gunned down. Because they were Black.”
The victims have been identified as Angela Michelle Carr, 52; Anolt Joseph Laguerre Jr., also known as A.J., 29, who worked at the store; and Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, 19. The gunman, identified as 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter, was a white individual from neighboring Clay County. Sheriff T.K. Waters of Jacksonville provided a chilling account of how the shooting unfolded.
According to witnesses, Carr, an Uber driver, had just dropped off a friend at the Dollar General before she was tragically killed. Her son, Chayvaughn Payne, described her as a caring and selfless person who would go out of her way to help others. He expressed his profound grief, saying, “This is really hard to process. To lose a mother for nothing.”
The gunman, wearing a tactical vest over a shirt, as well as a mask and gloves, began shooting into a car parked outside the store around 1:08 p.m., killing Carr. He then entered the store, turned right, and fatally shot Laguerre. The shooter chased some customers out of the store for unknown reasons before returning and shooting Gallion, who had entered through the front door with his girlfriend. The gunman also chased and shot at a woman, but she escaped without injury.
Sheriff Waters stated that when deputies arrived at the scene at approximately 1:19 p.m., they heard a single gunshot, most likely the gunman taking his own life.
The shooter had no prior criminal record, although he had been held for a 72-hour psychiatric evaluation in 2017 when he was 15 years old. The police had also responded to a domestic violence call involving him and his brother the previous year. The weapons used in the shooting, a Glock handgun and an AR-15-style rifle, were legally obtained by the gunman in April and June, respectively.
Psychiatric evaluations carried out under Florida’s Baker Act do not appear on background checks unless the individual has been committed for treatment.
Moments before the shooting, the gunman was seen putting on his tactical vest in a parking lot at Edward Waters University, a historically Black institution. A campus security guard noticed him and reported his suspicious behavior to a nearby sheriff’s deputy. Two people were in the vicinity of the gunman at the university, but he did not target them, according to Sheriff Waters.
The sheriff emphasized that the gunman specifically sought out Black victims. While most of the customers he ordered out of the store were white, there was one white individual inside whom he did not harm. Sheriff Waters declared, “I know for a fact that he did not like Black people.”
Towards the end of the shooting, the gunman texted his father, instructing him to use a screwdriver to enter his room at home. Authorities discovered a last will and testament and a suicide note, along with more than 20 pages of racist writings, on the shooter’s laptop. The family subsequently contacted the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, although the shooting had already concluded by then.
Police were stationed outside the family’s home in Orange Park on Sunday, but neighbors were unwilling to comment on the situation. Police records indicate that the shooter’s older brother is serving a prison sentence for an armed robbery that occurred in 2017.
According to an apparent account of the shooter’s on a social media platform, he attended Oakleaf High School. In November 2019, he posted a photo of an acceptance letter from Flagler College, but the college stated that he is not currently enrolled.
The Department of Justice is investigating the incident as both a hate crime and an act of racially motivated violent extremism. The FBI recently released an analysis of hate crime incidents in 2021, reporting an overall increase of over 11 percent compared to 2020. Anti-Black hate crimes constituted the largest “bias incident category,” with 31 percent of all single-bias incidents occurring in 2021.
Jacksonville, with a population of nearly 1 million people, has a long history of racism. Sunday marked the 63rd anniversary of Ax Handle Saturday, when white supremacists brutally attacked a group of mostly Black civil rights activists. Mayor Donna Deegan and other local officials planned to attend a ceremony commemorating the event, followed by a vigil for the victims of the Dollar General shooting.
In the past, a neo-Nazi group displayed swastika flags and antisemitic banners on an Interstate 95 overpass, and homeowners discovered fliers with hate speech in their driveways. Last year, antisemitic messages appeared throughout Jacksonville, including at a college football game and on various highways.
Despite appeals from the mayor and a former mayor who is a Republican, the Republican-led City Council has refused to remove a Confederate monument from a park.
Mayor Deegan, a Democrat who was elected last year, criticized Governor Ron DeSantis for his role in rolling back diversity and inclusion policies, which she believes has contributed to the rise in hate crimes. DeSantis attended a vigil unannounced on Sunday evening, where he was met with loud boos from the crowd. He expressed his condemnation of the violence and assured Jacksonville officials and the administration of Edward Waters University that he would ensure adequate security measures.
Residents of Jacksonville gathered at Saint Paul A.M.E. Church for a morning vigil, where several students from Edward Waters University were in attendance. A professor stated that the students are still overwhelmed and unable to discuss the shooting. The emotional service included a rendition of “Amazing Grace” and left many attendees in tears.
The shooting at the Dollar General store has sent shockwaves throughout the community of Jacksonville and intensified the urgent need for action against hate crimes and racism.