Devendra Kumar
A deadly shooting at a Jacksonville, Florida Dollar General store left three people dead and another wounded, according to authorities. The gunman, a white man in his 20s, was described as “racially motivated” by Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters, who stated that the suspect “hated black people.” The shooting occurred shortly before 2pm local time and involved the use of a Glock handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, one of which was painted with a swastika. The suspect took his own life following the attack.
The shooting took place within hours of the conclusion of a commemorative March on Washington in the nation’s capital, where organizers drew attention to the growing threat of hate-motivated violence against people of color. The attack is unsettlingly reminiscent of past shootings targeting black Americans, such as the 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting that killed 10 people and the 2015 Charleston church shooting that left nine dead.
The suspect, who had driven to the scene from neighboring Clay County, had sent his father a text message shortly before the attack, instructing him to check his computer. The father found writings and notified 911, but the shooting had already begun. The victim’s father also indicated that his son had been researching the anniversary of a previous shooting in Jacksonville that took place during a video game tournament in 2018, which resulted in the deaths of two people and the shooter.
The shooting has sent shockwaves through the community, with Edward Waters University students being kept in their dorms and no students or faculty believed to be involved. Local resident Penny Jones, who used to work at the store, expressed her concerns about the safety of the neighborhood, stating, “I’m just waiting to hear about my co-workers that I used to work with. I don’t know if it’s safe to move about the neighborhood.”
The investigation is ongoing, but authorities have stated that there is no evidence to suggest that the suspect was part of any larger group. The tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing issue of hate-motivated violence against black Americans and the importance of addressing these issues head-on.