4 people dead, including gunman, in Jacksonville dollar store shooting
Updated August 26, 2023 at 7:19 PM ET
A gunman who opened fire at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday afternoon, killed three people before taking his own life, authorities said.
The shooter, whose name has not yet been released, was described by Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters as a white male in his early 20s who left behind "manifestos."
"Plainly put, this shooting was racially motivated and he hated Black people," Waters said during a press conference on Saturday evening, adding that the hate at the heart of the writings "adds an additional layer of heartbreak to this tragedy."
The victims — two males and one female — have not been identified, but Waters confirmed that all were Black. No others were injured in the gunfire, he said.
Waters said the gunman was believed to have resided in Clay County, and drove about 40 miles north to Jacksonville on Saturday.
He donned a tactical vest and used an assault-style rifle and a handgun to carry out the attack. Photos of the weapons shared during a press conference showed a swastika painted on one side of the rifle.
Waters said the gunman texted his father ahead of the shooting to share the location of three manifesto documents. The family called the sheriff's office roughly 30 minutes later, but by that time, the attack had already occurred.
The gunman acted alone, Waters said, adding, "There is no evidence the shooter was part of a large group." FBI agents are on scene and have opened a federal civil rights investigation.
Police said the shooter was involved in a 2016 domestic call, but was not arrested. More detail on the incident was not immediately available.
Local news outlets reported a heavy police presence at the store along Kings Road in the Northwest neighborhood of College Gardens, starting around 1 p.m. on Saturday. Students at nearby Edward Waters University, a small, historically Black college, were told to remain inside their residence halls until the scene could be cleared.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan told local TV station News4JAX that the shooter had barricaded himself in the store.
"This is a community that has suffered again and again. So many times, this is where we end up," Deegan told reporters at the press conference. "This was a hate-filled crime. We shouldn't have that kind of hate in Jacksonville."
Saturday's shooting unfolded five years to the day after a gunman opened fire at a Jacksonville gaming tournament, killing two people and injuring 11 others before taking his own life. [Copyright 2023 NPR]
