Three black people killed by a white gunman in what authorities say was a racially motivated hate crime at a Dollar General store in Florida were identified Sunday — including a 19-year-old employee who was shot dead as he tried to escape.
Teenage store worker AJ Laguerre was named as one of the victims shot to death by racist “crazy” Ryan Palmer, 21, who targeted the Jacksonville store shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday, armed with a Glock handgun and an AR-15-style rifle emblazoned with a swastika, authorities said. powerful
Angela Michelle Carr, 52, was shot to death in a hail of 11 bullets as she sat in her car in the parking lot outside the store, and Jerrald Gallion, 29, was killed as he entered the store with his girlfriend, Sheriff TK Waters said.
Many other people in the store managed to escape unharmed out the back door while Palmmeter chased and shot them, the sheriff said.
Jerrald Gallion, 29, was shot and killed as he entered a Dollar General in Jacksonville on Saturday
Waters said Palmmeter allowed several people to leave the store at one point – some of them white – but authorities are still investigating that part of the shooting.
Palmmeter — who turned the gun on himself shortly after authorities arrived — acted alone in his racist rampage, authorities said.
“There is absolutely no evidence that the shooter was part of a larger group,” Waters told reporters.
Angela Michelle Carr was shot and killed in her car in a store parking lot.Facebook
“This is, frankly, a lunatic who decided he wanted to take a life,” the sheriff said. “He’s targeting a specific group of people, and that’s black people, that’s who he says he wants to kill. And that is very clear.”
Palmer left a suicide note and several racist manifestos on a computer at his parents’ Clay County home where he lives, authorities said.
“The manifesto is, frankly, the diary of a madman,” Waters said. “He is completely irrational. But with his irrational thoughts, he knew what he was doing. He is 100% clear.”
“This shooting was racially motivated, and he hates black people,” Waters said. “He wants to kill n——.”
Ryan Palmer, 21, entered the store with an assault rifle just before 2pm on Saturday
The weapon Palmmeter used was purchased legally in April and June, although he was involuntarily institutionalized for mental health in 2017, but was released after an examination.
Sheriff Waters stated that the gun was purchased completely legally and the store followed all procedures correctly.
Palmmeter bought the weapon he used in the attack legally several months ago via REUTERS
Palmer’s parents also called police about a domestic dispute between him and a sibling in 2016, but no arrests were made, police said.
Shortly before the shooting, Palmer was spotted nearby at the black Edward Waters University, but left after a security guard confronted him.
Witnesses said Palmmeter was seen wearing a mask, tactical vest and gloves before he left the school, and police said he posted a TikTok video while he was in the parking lot showing him wearing tactical gear.
It is unclear whether he initially intended to launch an attack at the school. Waters said he had plenty of opportunities to hurt people nearby but didn’t.
Palmer killed one of his victims as they sat in their car in the parking lot outside Dollar General on Twitter Saturday
“Any member of that race at that time was in danger – the black race,” Waters said.
About twenty minutes after the shooting began as police entered the building, Waters said Palmmeter locked himself in the store’s office and texted his father telling him to break into his room and check his computer for the manifesto.
The family notified police, but by then Palmer was already at Dollar General.
FBI investigators are treating the shooting as a hate crime.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
