Jacksonville sheriff identifies shooter, 3 victims at Dollar General shooting

On the anniversary of Ax Handle Saturday, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters identified Saturday's shooter whose "disgusting ideology of hate" motivated him to kill three Black people as 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter of Orange Park.

The victims were Angela Michelle Carr, 52, Anolt Joseph "A.J." Laguerre Jr., 19, and Jerrald De'Shaun Gallion, 29, the sheriff also said. Others both inside and outside the Kings Road Dollar General store were targeted, Waters said, but they were not struck by the shooter's bullets.

Palmeter had started out at the historically Black Edward Waters University at about 12:45 p.m. where he put on tactical gear ― a bullet-resistant vest, mask and gloves — in a back parking lot but also quickly got the attention of security.

He had left and soon began his rampage, shooting people with no warning, Waters said. He had a rifle bearing swastikas and a handgun. He did let some people out of the store before killing himself, the sheriff confirmed.

Waters said the attack was racially motivated by Palmeter, a white man, who targeted the Black victims. He had authored manifestos declaring his hate for the Black race and his intentions to kill Black people. He also referenced it was the anniversary of the mass shooting at The Jacksonville Landing during an Madden NFL videogame tournament.

What you need to know: Dollar General shooting in Jacksonville racially motivated, 3 victims

No one else was injured in the attack that happened shortly after 1 p.m., Waters said.

The manifestos that Palmeter left behind were described as "the diary of a madman," the sheriff said.

"He was just completely irrational. But with his irrational thoughts, he knew what he was doing. He was 100 percent lucid," Waters said.

Palmeter didn't have a criminal record. Waters said there were no red flags to see this coming.

He said both the rifle and handgun were legal and had been purchased legally. The firearms dealers ― Wild West Guns and Orange Park Gun and Pawn — followed proper procedures in the sales, he said.

"There was no flag that could have come up to stop him from purchasing those guns," Waters said. "Therein lies the difficulty, when a person grabs ahold of a gun with hateful intentions, it is very difficult to stop that from happening."

It's unknown why Palmeter initially went to Edward Waters University. Waters said it appeared that Palmeter went there to change into the tactical gear.

"He had an opportunity to do violence at EWU but he did not. There were people in very close proximity but he did not do anything there. He backed up and left," Waters said.

After encountering Palmeter, the campus security officer flagged down a sheriff's officer and told him about a suspicious man who had just left the campus.

However, the shooting began at the nearby Dollar General as the officer was preparing to issue an alert on the vehicle described by EWU security.

Waters said Carr was the first victim, with the gunman firing 11 rounds into her car in the store's parking lot. Palmeter then went inside and engaged Laguerre who was just doing his job, and then witnesses fled out the rear door. Gallion was shot after entering the store with his girlfriend.

Palmeter chased a witness through the store while shooting at her but didn't strike her, although the sheriff didn't specify if that was Gallion's girlfriend.

Palmeter then went into the store office where he texted his father, telling him to use a screwdriver to get into his room. His father did so and found his son's last will and testament along with a suicide note on his laptop, Waters said.

Eleven minutes after the ordeal began, Waters said arriving police entered the store at 1:19 p.m. and began searching for the shooter. The officers then heard a single gunshot and that is when police think Palmeter killed himself.

Detectives recovered surveillance video showing the shooting rampage. Waters made it clear that at this stage of the investigation, there was no indication that Palmeter was part of any larger hate group.

Although Waters said Palmeter had no prior criminal record, he was involved in a domestic call with his brother in 2016 but no arrests were made in the incident. Then in 2017, he was the subject of a Baker Act, which under Florida law, a person can be involuntarily committed to a mental health facility.

President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland were briefed Saturday afternoon about the shootings. The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating in addition to the Sheriff's Office.

Waters said they will continue investigating to provide the victims' families and the community with as many answers as possible as to why the shooting occurred.

"I urge us all not to look for sense in a senseless act of violence. There is no reason or explanation that will ever account for the shooter's decisions and actions," Waters said. "His sickening ideology is not representative of this Jacksonville community that we all love so much. We are not a community of hate."

Waters also urged residents to be vigilant and report anything that seems strange to them to the police.

"We don't expect anything like this to ever happen again. We hope it never happens again. But we ask our community to be on the lookout," he said.

Several vigils have already taken place or have been planned.

Dollar General issued the following statement afterward:

"The DG family mourns the loss of our colleague Anolt Joseph 'AJ' Laguerre Jr., who, along with two of our customers, were the victims of senseless violence yesterday. We extend our deepest sympathies to their families and friends as we all try to comprehend this tragedy. There is no place for hate at Dollar General or in the communities we serve. Right now, we are focused on providing support, counseling and resources to our teams and their loved ones, and we are evaluating how we can best support and stand with the greater Jacksonville community during this sad and difficult time."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Ryan Palmeter killed Blacks in Jacksonville hate crime at Dollar General