Shooter Ryan Christopher Palmeter (Images: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office)
On Saturday, Aug. 26, a young white gunman, identified as 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter, carried out a racially motivated attack at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, leaving three innocent Black people dead.
The gunman killed himself after the attack.
After legally purchasing a handgun in April and an AR-15-style rifle in June, Palmeter went inside the Dollar General store and started shooting at Black shoppers. The victims were Angela Michelle Carr, 52; Jerrald Gallion, 29; and Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr., 19.
Authorities quickly revealed that the shooter had utilized racial slurs, adorned his firearm with swastikas, and left behind a disturbing racist manifesto on his computer.
Some are wondering why Palmete, who had mental health issues, including a 72-hour involuntary detainment in 2017, was allowed to buy firearms.
“In this situation, there was nothing illegal about him owning the firearms,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said in a news conference on Aug. 27.
The gunman had written messages detailing his hatred of Black people, BBC reported.
“Finely put: this shooting was racially motivated and he hated black people.” Sheriff Waters said.
“He knew what he was doing. He was 100% lucid,” he added. “He knew what he was doing, and again, it’s disappointing that anyone would go to these lengths to hurt someone else.”
“There is no place for hate at Dollar General or in the communities we serve,” Dollar General said in a press statement. “Right now, we are focused on providing support, counseling, and resources to our teams and their loved ones, and we are evaluating how we can best support and stand with the greater Jacksonville community during this sad and difficult time.”
Prior to the shooting, the gunman had been turned away from the campus of a nearby historically Black university, Edward Waters University. There, he refused to identify himself to an on-campus security officer and was asked to leave, the university stated in a news release, The Daily Beast reported.
“The individual returned to their car and left campus without incident. The encounter was reported to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office by EWU security,” the school said.
There have been at least 470 mass shootings in the U.S. so far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. According to CNN, a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are wounded or killed, not including the shooter. There are almost two mass shootings for each day of the year so far.
Shooter Ryan Christopher Palmeter (Images: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office)
