Gov. DeSantis, Sheriff Condemn Racially Motivated Jacksonville Shooting
CV NEWS FEED // A racially motivated shooting in Jacksonville, FL left three dead and dozens more injured.
The massacre occurred outside of a Dollar General store Saturday afternoon in a predominately black neighborhood of the city.
The Daily Wire reported that the assailant, “a white male in his early 20s, left behind manifestos that made it clear that he was specifically targeting black people.” The perpetrator committed suicide following the murders.
As ABC News added, the shooter “left behind a last will and testament and writings that read like ‘the diary of a madman’ full of hate.” He was also reported to have swastikas drawn on his gun.
Before firing fatal shots at shoppers, the gunman notably had a run-in with campus security at Edward Waters University, a nearby Christian and historically black university.
The three deceased victims, all of whom were African American, were identified as Angela Michelle Carr, 52, Anolt Joseph “A.J.” Laguerre Jr., 19, and Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, 29.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis quickly condemned the mass shooting.
“This shooting, based on the manifesto that they’ve discovered from the scumbag that did it, this – was racially motivated,” DeSantis said. “He was targeting people based on their race. That is totally unacceptable.”
DeSantis added that the shooter “killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions. He took the coward’s way out.”
“We condemn what happened in the strongest possible terms,” the governor added.
Jacksonville Republican Sheriff T.K. Waters also condemned the shooting, emphasizing that “the problem is the individual.” Some leaders on the political left quickly cited the tragic shooting to advocate for Democratic-backed gun legislation.
“The story is always about guns,” said Waters, who is African American:
People are bad — this guy’s a bad guy. If I could take my gun off right now, and I lay it on this counter, nothing will happen. It’ll sit there — but as soon as a wicked person grabs ahold of that handgun and starts shooting people with it — there’s the problem.
DeSantis on Monday ordered Volunteer Florida to provide $1 million “to support campus security needs” at Edward Waters University, as well as $100,000 to support the slain victims’ grieving families.
The governor declared:
We are not going to allow our HBCUs to be targets for hateful scumbags. I’ve directed my administration to use every resource available to ensure the Edward Waters campus is safe following this shooting and to help the impacted families as they mourn their loved ones.
