3 dead in racially-motivated shooting in Jacksonville, Florida: Sheriff
Three people have tragically died after being shot in a “racially-motivated” attack by a 20-year-old white male in a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, local officials have said.
The suspect opened fire on Saturday afternoon just before 2 p.m., killing two black men and one black woman. He eventually opened fire on himself, taking his own life.
Officials said that the suspect was known to authorities and had been living with his parents at their home in Clay County.
Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook had called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 11:39 a.m. before the shooting to tell Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters that the suspect was leaving home and was headed for Jacksonville by car.
The suspect was already on the radar of authorities due to a domestic call his parents made to the police in 2016, during which he was not arrested. The following year, the suspect was subjected to Florida’s Baker Act, under which family and loved ones can seek emergency mental health services and temporary detention for individuals impaired due to mental illness.
Three Manifestos
Shortly before the shooting, the suspect was seen by security guards at Edward Waters University, a small historically black university, with a Glock handgun putting on a bullet-proof vest and mask, Sheriff Waters said at a press conference on Saturday.
The guards tried to catch him but he got away, prompting campus officials to issue an alert to students to remain in their dorms. No students or faculty are believed to be involved in the shooting, the college said after news of the attack.
At 1:53 p.m., the suspect’s parents called the Clay County sheriff’s office after the father received a text message from the suspect at 1:18 p.m. to check his computer. The father told the sheriff’s office they had found a manifesto in their home, which prompted an all-out police and SWAT response.
But it was too late. By the time they arrived, the 20-year-old had already started shooting at the store about three-quarters of a mile from the school campus.
The suspect had broadcast three manifestos before opening fire: one to his parents, one to federal law enforcement, and one to the media.
In a press conference, Sheriff Waters said it was clear from the manifestos that the shooter had been “racially-motivated” in his actions.
Portions of these manifestos detail the shooter’s disgusting ideology of hate,” the Jacksonville sheriff said. “He hated black people … He wanted to kill [expletive].”
“I want to be very clear that there is absolutely no evidence that the shooter is part of any large group,” he emphasized. “We know that he acted completely alone.”
“This is a dark day in Jacksonville’s history. There is no place for hate in this community,” he added. “I am sickened by this cowardly shooter’s personal ideology.”
The sheriff said that an investigation has been launched and the shooter’s home was being searched.
“Homicide detectives are actively investigating this tragedy, and despite the fact that the shooter is dead, they will continue to investigate this until we have a complete understanding of what happened and even why he did it,” he said.
Manifesto Notes Prior Shooting on Same Day
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan also told the press conference that the shooter had noted in his manifesto a shooting at a video game tournament in 2018, which officials say may have influenced or inspired his attack plans.
That shooting was carried out on the same day—Aug. 26—around the same time—at 1:34 p.m.—five years ago.
That shooter, 24-year-old David Katz, killed two people and injured 10 others after he lost a Madden NFL 19 game at the video game tournament in Jacksonville Landing. He also then took his own life at gunpoint.
Witnesses said at the time that they believed one of the victims was intentionally targeted. Mr. Katz had a history of mental illness for which he had been taking medication, according to local reports.
FBI Investigating Hate Crime
FBI special agent in charge of the agency’s local office, Sherri Onks, said the FBI was opening a federal civil rights investigation to investigate the attack as a hate crime.
“Hate crimes are always and will always remain a top priority for the FBI because they are not only an attack on a victim, they’re also meant to threaten and intimidate an entire community,” she said.
Sheriff Waters added at the press conference that in addition to the Glock handgun, the suspect had been armed with an AR-15 that had Nazi (National Socialist German Workers’ Party) swastikas painted on it.
Ms. Deegan said she was heartbroken.
“This is a community that has suffered again and again. So many times this is where we end up. And there were so many people out today obviously grieving, upset. It’s just something that should not and must not happen again,” she said.
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