According to the sheriff of Jacksonville, Florida, a lone shooter carried out an attack in which he targeted black people and killed three of them before turning the pistol on himself.
The suspect, who was described as being white and in his early 20s, entered a Dollar General shop where he started shooting, which led to a standoff between the suspect and the police.
According to Sheriff T. K. Waters, the lone gunman, who was dressed in body armor and left manifestos, was responsible for the deaths of two men and a woman.
According to Mayor Donna Deegan, it was an act of “hate-filled crime” that was motivated by racist prejudice.
According to the sheriff, the gunman, who has not been officially identified at this time, was armed with both a handgun and a lightweight semi-automatic rifle.
It is thought that he was acting alone, and it is suspected that he intended to kill himself. According to Sheriff Waters, he lived in Clay County with his parents in Jacksonville and left multiple notes detailing his plans, including one to his parents and another to the media. One of the messages was directed to his parents. The sheriff also mentioned that at least one of the firearms displayed a swastika design on its surface.
The shooting has been classified as a hate crime by the FBI, which has prompted the agency to launch a civil rights investigation into the incident.
The assault took place less than a mile away from Edwards Waters University, which has a historically black student body.
In an interview with a local television station, the Mayor of Jacksonville, Donna Deegan, stated that “one shooting is too much,” but that “these mass shootings are really hard to take.”
The incident was referred to as “horrific” by Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, who also referred to the shooter as a “scumbag.”
Mr. DeSantis, who is vying to become the presidential nominee of the Republican party, stated that “He [the gunman] was targeting people based on their race, which is completely unacceptable.”
“This guy killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions, so he took the coward’s way out.”
According to the White House, Vice President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident that occurred.
Dollar General said it was “heartbroken by the senseless act of violence that occurred at our Kings Road store” in a statement that was provided to the US partner of the BBC, CBS News. The company also said that “supporting our Jacksonville employees and the DG family impacted by this tragedy is a top priority as we work closely with law enforcement.”
According to the Gun Violence Archive website, there have been more than 28,000 deaths caused by firearms in the United States so far in 2018.
The attack in Jacksonville took place on the same day that marks the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington and the famous “I have a dream” speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. On Saturday, in order to commemorate the momentous day in the progression of the civil rights movement, tens of thousands of people converged on the nation’s capital.
