(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – The latest details about a mass shooting at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, indicate the assailant killed three Black individuals with a rifle adorned with swastikas. The shooting is believed by police to be racially driven.
The three victims, two Black men, and one Black woman, were fatally shot by a white man who later took his own life before law enforcement could apprehend him.
Before the incident, the assailant, now identified as Ryan Christopher Palmeter, was observed near the grounds of a nearby historically black college. According to the police, he had written “several manifestos” expressing his disdain for Black people.
In a press conference, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said, “This shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people.” Waters further stated, “He wanted to kill n——.”
Palmeter, believed to be in his early 20s, entered the store wearing a tactical vest and armed with a Glock and an “AR-15 style” rifle with swastikas. However, law enforcement emphasized there is no evidence linking him to any larger extremist group. Waters noted, “This was, quite frankly, a maniac who decided he wanted to take lives. He targeted a certain group of people, and that’s Black people, that’s what he said he wanted to kill. And that’s very clear.”
Previously, in 2017, the assailant had been involuntarily institutionalized under the “Baker Act.” A year before that, he was involved in a domestic situation that did not result in any arrests. He resided with his parents in Clay County. Law enforcement searched the home.
After speaking with the sheriff, Gov. Ron DeSantis called the shooter a “scumbag.” DeSantis continued, “He was targeting people based on their race. That is totally unacceptable. This guy killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions. He took the coward’s way out. We condemn what happened in the strongest possible terms.”
You can watch a video of DeSantis’s remarks at the bottom of this post.
Currently, the FBI is investigating the incident as a hate crime.
This incident is an eerie coincidence, as precisely five years ago, a different shooter killed two and injured eleven during a video game event in Jacksonville, also ending his life with his own hand.
Here is the video of DeSantis:
NEW: Gov. Ron DeSantis denounces "coward" Jacksonville shooter who allegedly targeted Black people
“This guy killed himself rather than face the music. He took the coward’s way out. We condemn what happened in the strongest possible terms."pic.twitter.com/IuZ5y3y5cj
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) August 26, 2023
