U.S. police reported that the individual who shot and killed three people before taking his own life inside a store in Jacksonville, Florida, committed the crime out of racial motives and harbored a hatred for Black individuals. The shooting occurred within a Dollar General store located in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Jacksonville.
A masked white man entered the store and opened fire using a Glock handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. The shooter was reportedly wearing a bulletproof vest, according to global news agencies.
Jacksonville Police Chief T.K. Waters stated in a press conference: "The shooter targeted a specific group of people, and those were Black individuals. These are the people he said he wanted to kill. This is very clear." He added that messages left by the white shooter, who was in his twenties, “detail his disgusting hatred-driven ideology.” These writings led investigators to believe the man committed his crime to mark the fifth anniversary of another armed individual's shooting during a video game tournament in Jacksonville, where two people were killed before the shooter took his own life.
Reuters quoted Waters saying that the perpetrator hated Black individuals. He stated that authorities believe the suspect acted alone, as there is no evidence indicating he was part of a larger group.
The White House commented on the shooting in Florida. President Biden and the First Lady had recently returned to Washington, D.C., after spending several days in Nevada. The President was briefed on the Jacksonville shooting and received updates on other shootings that had occurred across the country in the past 24 hours.
