FLORIDA‘s Jacksonville is grappling with the heart-wrenching tragedy through a rally and a prayer vigil after the racially motivated shooting spree that killed three Black people the previous day.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the shooting occurred at a Jacksonville Dollar General Store, and that it was racially motivated.
They also confirmed the names of the victims— Angela Michelle Carr, 52; Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr., 19; and Jarrald De’shaun Gallion, 29
The shooter, 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter, committed the disturbing act, leaving behind a will, disturbing writings, and a trail of evidence pointing to his motives.
Armed with an AR-15-style weapon, Palmeter targeted black shoppers on a Saturday afternoon. Law enforcement believes he obtained the firearm legally.
The rampage was captured on surveillance cameras within the store. Palmeter’s writings, described as a “diary of a madman,” exposed his extreme racial hatred.
US President Joe Biden promptly condemned the act and announced a federal civil rights investigation to uncover any hate crime or domestic extremism angles.
The incident tragically coincided with the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963, which emphasized racial equality.
According to the gun violence archive project, there have been 28,000 gun-related deaths in the US so far in 2023 alone, and the year has yet to end.
“I’m a resident of Jacksonville. I’ve been a long-time activist. I’ve been involved in many cases, the Trayvon Martin Case, the Jordan Davis Case, the case with Ahmaud Arbrey. I was the main minister to announce the 10,000 dollars bounty for the murder of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman. What happened yesterday is travesty and underscores that White supremacy and racism, and bigotry is still the number one threat for the well-being of Black Americans and indigenous people.”
“We met here to make sure that these families are not forgotten, these victims are not forgotten. I think that, you know, the government and the law enforcement has to sit down and start looking into these things more diligently. And there somebody must sit down and just take charge and say okay this is how we’re gonna fix it. And implement that. But it has to be a thought out plan.”
“My family has a house over here and is over here just about every day. So that could have been anyone’s family member. Unfortunately, this is a travesty and I just feel sad for all the families. We were having my nephew’s birthday party. We made the kids get out the pool to give these families some respect,” said a resident, Jacksonville, Florida.
