Jacksonville sheriff TK Waters told a news conference the shooter “hated Black people. Photos by Bob Self/Florida Times-Union
by Don Mooney
Sat 27 Aug 2023 2.30 CST
Memphis, TN—With the cry for justice and equal rights ringing from the National Mall today in Washington D.C. commemorating the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, a white gunman’s gunfire rang through a Dallar General in Jacksonville killing three Black shoppers.
The shooting happened at a Dollar General near Edward Waters University in Jacksonville. On Saturday, the university issued a “safety alert” on X, formerly Twitter, notifying students and staff that a fatal shooting had occurred off-campus. Armed with high-powered rifle, a handgun a white man entered Dollar General, just before 2pm killing two men and a woman before directing his evil on himself. All victims were Black.
Alejandro Mayorkas, the US secretary of homeland security, condemned the shooting, saying his department was closely monitoring the situation. “Too many Americans – in Jacksonville and across our country – have lost a loved one because of racially motivated violence,” he said. Mayorkas added, “there is absolutely no evidence the shooter is part of any larger group.
Photos by Bob Self/Florida Times-Union
Jacksonville sheriff TK Waters said the shooter, who was in his 20s, used a Glock handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle with at least one of the firearms painted with a swastika. He said the shooter left behind “several manifestos” for media, his parents and law enforcement detailing his hatred for Black people. The writings led investigators to believe that he committed the shooting because it was the fifth anniversary of another Jacksonville shooting.
“The hate that motivated the shooter’s killing spree adds an additional layer of heartbreak,” Waters said.
The shooter had driven there from neighboring Clay County. Shortly before the attack, the shooter had sent his father a text message telling him to check his computer. The father found writings and the family notified 911, but the shooting had already begun, Waters said.
The sheriff said the shooter had been seen at a nearby historically Black college, Edward Waters University, where he put on his tactical vest and a mask before going to the Dollar General, a discount chain with stores across the United States.
“I can’t tell you what his mindset was while he was there, but he did go there,” the sheriff said.
Students were kept in their dorms, the school said in a statement. No students or faculty are believed involved, the school said.
“This is a dark day in Jacksonville’s history. There is no place for hate in this community,” sheriff Waters said. “I am sickened by this cowardly shooter’s personal ideology.” He said the investigation will continue and that the shooter’s home is being searched.
Joe Biden and the US attorney general, Merrick Garland, were briefed on the incident.
Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, after speaking by phone with the sheriff, called the shooter a “scumbag” and denounced his racist motivation. “‘This guy killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions. He took the coward’s way out,” said DeSantis, who was in Iowa campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination.
Penny Jones told the the Associated Press that she worked at that Dollar General store until a few months ago. She lives a few blocks away in the predominantly Black neighborhood.
“I’m just waiting to hear about my co-workers that I used to work with,” Jones said. “I don’t know if it’s safe to move about the neighborhood.” Jones added that she was “feeling awkward, scared”.
Sherri Onks, special agent in charge of the Jacksonville FBI office, said federal officials had opened a civil rights investigation and would pursue the incident 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,” Onks said.
The shooting happened five years to the day when a gunman opened fire during a video game tournament in Jacksonville, killing two people before fatally shooting himself.
Photos by Bob Self/Florida Times-Union