A white gunman, identified as 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter from neighbouring Clay County shot dead three black civilians in Jacksonville Florida.
A Dollar General store near Edward Waters University in Jacksonville became the scene of a tragic incident over the weekend.
-Shooting took place-
Strapped in a tactical vest, Ryan launched a horrifying attack, which resulted in the deaths of three Black individuals.
Undeniably, his prime target was black people around the area. The authorities are treating this brutal act as a hate crime.
Consequently, Sheriff T.K. Waters of Jacksonville, speaking at a news conference, disclosed that the assailant took his own life after carrying out the shootings.
-Racially motivated Ryan-
He unequivocally stated, “This shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people.”
The victims were identified as Angela Michelle Carr, aged 52; Anolt Joseph Laguerre Jr (A.J)., aged 29; and Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, aged 19.
Notably, the perpetrator, Ryan Christopher Palmeter, had armed himself with an AR-15-style rifle and a Glock handgun, both legally obtained in the state of Florida.
-Previous Racial Crimes-
It is important to realize, that this incident is the latest in a series of racially motivated attacks.
Moreover, these attacks are perpetrated by white individuals in the United States.
Consequently, last year, a shooting targeting Black individuals claimed the lives of 10 people at a Supermarket in Buffalo.
Additionally, a 2019 attack at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, resulted in the deaths of 22 people, with the gunman admitting his intention to harm Mexicans.
Fortunately, in Jacksonville, no one else was injured or killed during the attack. In addition, the shooter left his parents’ residence in Clay County around 11:39 a.m. on the fateful Saturday and headed towards Jacksonville.
-Ryan’s Manifesto-
The authorities revealed that the assailant had written several manifestos, including one addressed to his parents.
In his manifestos, he went into detail over his delusional ideology of hatred. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the gunman’s parents at 1:53 p.m., after the shooting had concluded, adding to the tragedy of the situation.
-Ryan’s mental history-
The police revealed that Ryan had a domestic call back in 2016. In addition, he underwent a mental assessment in 2017 over the same domestic report made.
Republican Governor, Ron Desantis called out the hate crime. He terms Ryan as a coward for taking his life and not taking responsibility for his actions.
In the final analysis, there was no mention of gun regulation by authorities in the investigation of the shooting so far.
