The Jacksonville Murders: What We Know About Hate Crime?

 

The Jacksonville Murders: What We Know About Hate Crime?

JACKSONVILLE, Florida.: A man wearing a mask and shooting a weapon with a swastika shot three black people Saturday in what police described as a racially motivated attack in Jacksonville, Florida. The shooter, who also posted racist graffiti, then killed himself. Here's what is known about the killings:

Where and when did the shooting take place?

The shooting occurred Saturday afternoon at a Dollar General store in New Town, a predominantly black neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida. The store is near Edward Waters University, a historically black school with about 1,000 students. The school said a security guard spotted the man on campus shortly before the shooting and told him to leave when he refused to identify himself. He was seen wearing his bulletproof vest and mask before leaving by car. Jacksonville Sheriff T.C. On Sunday, Waters said he did not intend to attack the school.

Who was the shooter?

Ryan Palmeter, 21, lived in neighboring Clay County with his parents. Officer Waters said Palmeter was involved in a 2016 domestic violence incident that did not lead to an arrest and was involuntarily placed under a 72-hour mental health examination the following year. Palmeter used two rifles - a Glock pistol and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. It was legally purchased earlier this year, Waters said.

Who are the victims?

Angela Michelle Carr, 52, was shot in her car outside; Store Clerk A.J. Laguerre, 19, was shot while trying to flee; and customer Gerald Gallion, 29, who was shot as he entered the store. No one else was hurt.

What is the motive behind the attack?

During the attack, Palmeter sent a text message to his father and told him to break into his room and check his computer. There, the father found a suicide note, a will, and racist graffiti from his son. Al-Sharif said the family alerted the authorities, but the shooting had already begun by then. Officials say the writings were directed at his family, federal law enforcement, and at least one news outlet. At least one of the weapons bore a swastika. Sheriff Waters said the shooter made it clear in his writing that he hated black people.

How was Edward Waters University affected?

After the shooting, the school was closed for several hours, and the students were kept in their dorm rooms for safety. The school says no students or staff were involved in the shooting.

Feedback from across the country:

Florida Rep. Angie Nixon: "We must be clear, it wasn't just racial impulses; it was racial violence perpetuated by rhetoric and policies designed to attack black people."

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan: "I've heard some people say that some of the rhetoric we're hearing isn't really what's in people's hearts; it's just a game. It's just a political game. Those three people who lost their lives, that's not a game. That's the reality of what we're dealing with." Please, let's stop seeing each other as pieces on a game board, and please let us start seeing each other's humanity."

Rudolph McKissick, Senior Pastor of Historic Bethel Church in Jacksonville: "As it began to unfold, and I began to see the truth, my heart ached on so many levels."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: "This man killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions. He took the coward's way out." -

Jacksonville resident Latonya Thomas takes a charter bus home after celebrating the 60th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: "I made the march more important because gun violence and things like that, of course, sound very informal." Now, you have employees and customers who will never return home.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland: "No person in this country should live in fear of violence fueled by hate, and no family should grieve the loss of a loved one because of bigotry and hate. One of the priorities of the Department of Justice when it was founded in 1870 was to provide for white supremacists who used violence to terrorize Black Americans, and that remains our urgent task today.