The Black community of Jacksonville, Florida, is dealing with the deadly ramifications of a hate crime that took place in the city. A white gunman racially targeted Black patrons inside a local Dollar General store within a primarily Black area on Aug. 27, killing three victims.
The motivations behind the fatal attack became clear after the gun used to commit the murders was painted with a swastika. According to the Associated Press, officials also confirmed that the shooter had posted racist messages on social media sites. However, he refused to face the repercussions of his hateful action, killing himself on the scene.
Authorities didn’t immediately release the names of the victims or the shooter.
The man, who was confirmed to be in his 20s, used a Glock handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle to commit the killings, starting the shootout a little before 2 p.m. ET that day. The location of the store was within walking distance from Edward Waters University, an HBCU, where a security officer also confirmed sightings of the gunman on campus. His intentions for the school remain concerning, as he left the grounds shortly after being asked to identify himself, but put on a vest and mask before leaving.
Before committing the fatal shooting, the Clay County resident sent his father, with whom he resides, a text message to check his computer. However, when his father found his racist words and called authorities, the shooting was already underway.
Based on the evidence retrieved from the gunman’s computer, it is believed that he committed the hate crime to pay a twisted homage to a prior Jacksonville shooting. The fifth anniversary of a shooter fatally killing attendees of a video game tournament in the same Florida city was being remembered on the same day. The shooter of that 2018 incident killed himself following the attack as well, as also confirmed by AP.
The sheriff over the investigation called it a “dark day” for the city and its history, with fellow Florida leaders condemning the hate crime as well.
Governor Ron DeSantis, whose conservative beliefs regarding Black history being taught in school is offputting to many Black Floridians, also expressed his disgust over the shooter’s actions.
“This guy killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions,” shared DeSantis, who did not go to the city immediately. “He took the coward’s way out.”
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