Gunman Kills 3 Black People, Himself In 'Racially Motivated' Shooting In Florida's Jacksonville
A gunman in the US killed three black people in a 'racially motivated' shooting in Florida's Jacksonville.
In yet another incident of hate crime, a gunman in the US shot dead three black people in a racially motivated attack before killing himself, reported BBC citing the town's Sheriff. The incident took place in Jacksonville, Florida where the man, described as white and in his early 20s, entered a Dollar General store and opened fire, triggering a standoff with police. According to the report, Sheriff TK Waters said that the deceased include two men and a woman, and all were black. The shooter was wearing body armour and carried a lightweight semi-automatic rifle and a handgun, Waters added, as per BBC.
"This shooting was racially motivated and he hated Black people," Jacksonville Sheriff was quoted as saying by CNN. Meanwhile, Mayor Donna Deegan also termed the incident a "hate-filled crime" driven by racist hatred, according to BBC.
Sheriff Waters said that the killer is believed to have acted alone and allegedly wanted to kill himself. He lived in Jacksonville's Clay County with his parents and "authored several manifestos", including one to his parents and another to the media, the sheriff added.
The Sheriff further said, as per BBC, that at least one of the guns had a swastika drawn on it. BBC reported that the American probe agency FBI has opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting, which it is treating as a hate crime.
According to the report, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan told local TV channel WJXT: "One shooting is too much but these mass shootings are really hard to take." On the other hand, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described called the gunman a "scumbag" and shooting "horrific".
"He [the gunman] was targeting people based on their race, that is totally unacceptable," said DeSantis, who is running to be the Republican party's US presidential candidate.
"This guy killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions and so he took the coward's way out," he added. BBC stated that the White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting.
In a statement provided to CBS News, Dollar General said, "It was heartbroken by the senseless act of violence that occurred at our Kings Road store", according to BBC. He added 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, stated BBC, there have been over 28,000 gun deaths in the US so far this year.
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