A gunman fatally shot three black people with an assault rifle covered in a swastika inside a Jacksonville, Florida store in what police called a “racially motivated” attack on Saturday.
The victims were described as two African-American men and a woman, who were killed by a white man, who shot himself to death before he could be taken into custody.
The unidentified shooter had previously been seen lurking around the nearby historically black college campus before the attack— and he detailed his hatred of black people in one of “several manifestos,” law enforcement said.
“This shooting was racially motivated, and he hates black people,” Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters told a news conference.
“He wants to kill n——.”
The shooter used a swastika-branded weapon in the shooting that left three black men dead.
The “crazy guy,” who was in his early 20s, stormed the store with a tactical vest, a Glock and an “AR-15-style” rifle, with a swastika painted on it.
Despite the Nazi symbol, police said there was “absolutely no evidence that the shooter was part of any larger group.”
“This is, frankly, a madman who decided he wanted to take life,” Waters said. “He targeted one particular group of people, and that was black people, that’s who he said he wanted to kill. And that is very clear.
“Any member of that race at that time was in danger – the Black race.”
The victims were described as two African-American men and a woman, who were killed by a white man, who shot himself to death before he could be taken into custody. AP
According to police, the shooter was involuntarily institutionalized in 2017 through a state law called the “Baker Act.”
The year before, he was involved in a domestic call that ended in no arrests.
Police offered few details about her identity, but said she lives in Clay County near her parents.
Law enforcement raided the home Saturday night.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, after speaking by phone with the sheriff, called the shooter a “bastard” and denounced his racial motivation.
Police at the scene of a shooting inside a Dollar General in Jacksonville, Florida on August 26, 2023.WJXT
“He targets people based on their race. That is totally unacceptable. This man killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions. He took the cowardly way out. We condemn what happened in the strongest possible terms,” said DeSantis, who is in Iowa campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination.
The FBI has reportedly opened a federal investigation into the attack, which they consider a hate crime.
Mayor Donna Deegan, who was at the scene, confirmed earlier that there were “several fatalities” following the shooting at a store.
He told News4Jax and a man barricaded himself inside the Dollar General.
The unidentified gunman had previously been seen lurking around the nearby historic black college campus before the attack.AP
City councilman Ju’Coby Pittman told the news outlet the shooter was dead.
“My heart is heavy. I’m tired of all the shooting,” he said.
Dollar General also released a statement condemning the tragedy.
“We are saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred at our Kings Road store in Jacksonville, Florida today. At this time, supporting our Jacksonville employees and the DG family affected by this tragedy is a top priority as we work closely with law enforcement,” a spokesperson for the chain said.
Mayor Donna Deegan, who was at the scene, confirmed that there were multiple fatalities in the shooting. WJXT
Before the shooting, a man believed to be the gunman had been spotted on campus near Edward Waters University, a small, historically black university.
A campus security guard asked the man to identify himself after he was spotted near the school library.
When he refused, he was asked to leave and retreated to his car, the university said in a statement.
He was later seen wearing a ballistic vest and mask.
Campus security was called and unsuccessfully attempted to arrest the man.
The suspect’s parents are said to have called the police after finding the manifesto.
Deegan said that a man was restrained inside the Dollar General store.WJXT
He left messages for both his family and for federal law enforcement about his hatred, according to reports.
The shooter left Clay County for Jacksonville at about 11:39 a.m. and texted his father at 1:18 p.m. and told him to check his computer, Waters said.
The gunman’s family then called the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at about 1:53 p.m., right around the time the shooting began.
His message to his family detailed the “disgusting ideology of hate.”
The suspect’s parents are said to have called the police after finding the manifesto. AP
Action News Jax cited sources who said the gunman was wearing a tactical vest, mask and gloves.
EWU students were detained in their residence halls until the scene was cleared.
No students or faculty are believed to be involved in the shooting, university officials said.
A witness told News4Jax that the shooter shot at several cars.
A witness told News4Jax that the shooter shot at several cars.WJXT
SWAT team members were seen earlier in the day outside Dollar General engaged in a potential standoff with an armed suspect, Action News Jax reported.
First responders from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office were also on scene.
“This is unacceptable,” Deegan said.
“One shot is too many but this mass shooting is very difficult to do.”
Saturday’s shooting comes five years to the day when a gunman killed two people and wounded 11 others at a video game tournament in Jacksonville before turning the gun on himself.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
