Federal authorities have launched a hate crime investigation into a shooting that saw a White Gunman use a swastika-covered firearm to shoot and kill three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office detailed what happened.
“This shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a news conference. “He wanted to kill n------. That’s the one and only time I’ll use that word.”
Waters shared that the gunman, now identified as 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter, had drawn swastikas on his weapon, left racially charged messages for police, his parents, and the media, and carried out his shooting with the intent of killing Black people.
While in the store, the gunman opened fire, targeting Black people, for 11 minutes before officers responded and heard a single gunshot.
As they converged on the shooter’s presumed location, they found him deceased. Officers believe he shot and took his own life before he could be subdued.
The shooting claimed the lives of Angela Michelle Carr, 52, Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr., 19, and Jerrald Gallion, 29, the sheriff’s office shared.
Parameter was armed with two legally purchased firearms, an AR-15-style rifle and a Glock handgun, Waters shared.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland shared on Sunday that the Justice Department will investigate the shooting as a hate crime and an act of racially motivated violent extremism.
On Sunday, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan called for an end to division while the community gathered to honor the victims.
“The division has to stop, the hate has to stop, the rhetoric has to stop,” she said, adding, “We are all the same flesh, blood, and bones, and we should treat each other that way.”
When it comes to a motive behind Palmeter’s attack, Waters pushed back.
“Our community is grappling to understand why this atrocity occurred. I urge us all not to look for sense in a senseless act of violence,” the sheriff said. “There’s no reason or explanation that will ever account for the shooter’s decisions and actions.”
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