DeSantis booed at Jacksonville vigil after 3 killed in ‘racially motivated’ shooting – The Independent

NewsWorldAmericasUS Crime NewsThree killed in mass shooting at Dollar General store just blocks from historically-Black Edward Waters University on Saturday afternoon Ron DeSantis booed by mourners at Jacksonville vigil after racist shooting

Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morningSign up to our free morning US email news bulletinFlorida governor Ron DeSantis was heckled by mourners at a vigil held in Jacksonville for the three victims killed in a racially motivated attack.Two men and a woman were killed on Saturday by a 21-year-old white man named Ryan Palmeter, who “hated Black people”. The victims were identified as Angela Michelle Carr, 52, Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr, 19, and Jarrald De’Shaun Gallion, 29.As the governor began speaking at the vigil on Sunday, many members of a crowd of over a hundred people booed Mr DeSantis, forcing him to step back from the microphone.Ju’Coby Pittman, a Jacksonville city councilperson who represents the neighbourhood where the shooting took place, stepped in and asked the crowd to listen.The shooting took place at a Dollar General store just blocks from the historically-Black Edward Waters University. Shortly before the gunman went on a killing spree, his parents called law enforcement to say they had found a manifesto. The gunman had reportedly called his parents ahead of the attack and told them to look at his computer.Sheriff TK Waters described those writings as a “disgusting ideology of hate”. 1693256418Shooting occurred on anniversary of March on WashingtonThe shooting in Jacksonville, Florida came on the same day of the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech.While the shooting unfolded, thousands were visiting Washington DC to attend Reverand Al Sharpton’s commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.Rudolph McKissick, a national board member of Sharpton’s National Action Network, was not in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

Yet his thoughts on the shooting touched on issues raised by the civil rights leader.“The irony is on the day we celebrate the 60th commemoration of the March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King stood up and talked about a dream for racial equality and for love, we still yet live in a country where that dream is not a reality,” McKissick said. “That dream has now been replaced by bigotry.”Ariana Baio28 August 2023 22:001693254618What we know about the racist 21-year-old Dollar General shooterThe gunman who shot dead three people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday afternoon in a racially motivated attack has been named as 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter.Palmeter is believed to have left the home he shared with his parents in suburban Clay County around 11.40am on Saturday, arriving in his grey Honda Element first at the campus of Edward Waters University (EWU), a historically Black college, about an hour later, only to be turned away by a security guard when he refused to identify himself.“The individual returned to their car and left campus without incident. The encounter was reported to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office by EWU security,” the school said in a subsequent press release.Just before the massacre was carried out at the nearby Dollar General branch, Palmeter texted his father advising him to look at his personal computer, on which the suspect’s parents duly found “several manifestos” intended to explain his actions, which Sheriff Waters characterised as “the diary of a madman” during Sunday’s press conference.Palmeter’s father had called the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at around 2pm to report the manifestos but by then it was already too late.Palmeter’s writings, which included a will and a note declaring his intention to end his life, are now being examined by investigators.

Ariana Baio28 August 2023 21:301693252818Jacksonville councilwoman defends DeSantis after booingWhen Florida governor Ron DeSantis was booed during a vigil for the victims of the mass shooting that occurred over the weekend, Jacksonville councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman stood up for him. “I wanted the audience to calm down because I wanted him to sit down and I wanted it to be the vent that was for the residents and the community had come together for unity,” Ms Pittman told CNN on Monday. Ms Pittman became subject to criticism as many felt Mr DeSantis’ appearance was purely political and he deserved to be booed since he has supported loosening gun laws in the state. But Ms Pittman says her act of defending Mr DeSantis was purely to allow the community and victims’ families to come together and leave Mr DeSantis’ politics out of it.“That vigil was not about the governor and I will say I do not support any of the stances or policies that the governor have implemented.”“It was about focusing on the families that was there and the hatred that had come to their community,” Ms Pittman said. Ariana Baio28 August 2023 21:001693251018Watch: Ron DeSantis booed by mourners at Jacksonville vigil after racist shootingRon DeSantis booed by mourners at Jacksonville vigil after racist shootingAriana Baio28 August 2023 20:301693249218 Harrowing video shows Jacksonville shooter launching rampage at Dollar GeneralPolice in Jacksonville, Florida have released the chilling footage that shows the gunman who carried out a mass shooting at a Dollar General store entering the building and opening fire.The video, captured on CCTV cameras, shows the suspect armed with an AR-15-style rifle standing outside of the store where he aimed his firearm at the windshield of a car and began firing rounds.

Ariana Baio28 August 2023 20:001693247418How the Jacksonville shooting suspect was able to buy an AR-15-style rifleThe alleged gunman who shot dead three people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday was able to buy the weapons he used in the attack legally, despite once having been taken into the state’s care after suffering a mental health episode, law enforcement has said.“In this situation, there was nothing illegal about him owning the firearms,” Sheriff TK Waters said, stressing that the weapons had not belonged to the suspect’s parents, who had refused to allow him to keep firearms in their home.A photo shared on the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Facebook page over the weekend showed a close-up of one of the guns with at least two swastikas marked on it.The AR-15-style weapon had “Palmetto State Armory” and “PA-15” engraved on it, with the manufacturer’s website describing the PA-15 model as “our interpretation of the legendary AR-15 rifle that you have grown to love”.While the gunman had no criminal record, he was previously involved in a 2016 domestic incident involving his brother James – who is reportedly now serving a jail sentence for armed robbery – but was not arrested, the sheriff said.More significantly, he was also held in state custody in 2017 under Florida’s Baker Act, a statute that allows for people to be “taken to a receiving facility for involuntary examination” for up to 72 hours if they are considered a danger to themselves or others during a mental health crisis.Speaking to CNN later on Sunday, Sheriff Waters explained: “If there is a Baker Act situation, they’re prohibited from getting guns.”Asked why, in that case, the guman had been able to buy them, the sheriff said: “We don’t know if that Baker Act was recorded properly, whether it was considered a full Baker Act.”The investigation is ongoing but the sheriff’s words appear to outline two possible scenarios – administrative error or a favourable ruling on the gunman’s wellbeing – that might explain why he was allowed to purchase the weapons after having been flagged as a cause for concern and taken in for examination by medical professionals under the Act.

Ariana Baio28 August 2023 19:301693245618White House condemns Jacksonville shootingWhite House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the shooting in Jacksonville, Florida that occurred on the same day as the anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have a Dream speech. “Sadly, this day of remembrance ended with yet more American communities wounded by an act of gun violence,” Ms Jean-Pierre said on Monday afternoon. “We must say clearly and forcefully that white supremacy has no place in America.”The gunman who opened fire left several notes behind indicating his dislike for Black people and that the shooting was conducted to intentionally target Black people. “Hate must have no safe harbour, silence is complicity, and we must not remain silent,” Ms Jean-Pierre added before advocating for gun control. Ariana Baio28 August 2023 19:001693243818VOICES: Ron DeSantis didn’t listen. No wonder Jacksonville booed him“Angie Nixon responded to the community’s anger, saying “at the end of the day, the governor has blood on his hands.”Nixon is right. DeSantis, and the GOP, have created a climate where violent, racist terrorists have the means and inspiration to commit horrific acts of violence against Black people and other marginalized communities. An increasingly rabid gun rights movement has been cultivated, and with it rabid racist rhetoric, because of what? A political advantage to capitalize on paranoia and hate. And when followers are fed this diet, the result is a political movement that encourages acts of racist political violence.”Noah Berlatsky writes:Ariana Baio28 August 2023 18:301693242018Watch: Jacksonville shooter seen entering Florida store during racially motivated attack Jacksonville shooter seen entering Florida store during racially motivated attackAriana Baio28 August 2023 18:001693240218How was Jacksonville shooting suspect able to buy an AR-15-style rifle?The alleged gunman who shot dead three people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday was able to buy the weapons he used in the attack legally, despite once having been taken into the state’s care after suffering a mental health episode, law enforcement has said.Joe Sommerlad reports:Ariana Baio28 August 2023 17:30

SOURCE: Independent