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Dollar General says it’s ‘heartbroken’ by attack at store
Retailer Dollar General responded to news of today’s attack at one of its stores in Jacksonville, saying the killing left it “heartbroken.”
“We are heartbroken by the senseless act of violence that occurred at our Kings Road store in Jacksonville, Florida today,” the retailer said in a statement.
It said it would work with investigators and support employees affected by the attack.
“At this time, supporting our Jacksonville employees and the DG family impacted by this tragedy is a top priority as we work closely with law enforcement,” Dollar General said.
The retailer claims to be the nation’s first dollar store. Its first storefront opened in Springfield, Kentucky, on June 1, 1955.
Suspected shooter was aware of gamer shooting 5 years ago to the day
The suspect in today’s racially motivated attack was “aware” of a mass shooting in Jacksonville five years ago on this date in which two people were killed and 10 were injured, the city’s mayor said.
“He was aware of that,” Mayor Donna Deegan said at today’s news conference, citing messages the suspect left for authorities, media and his parents. “Perhaps [he] chose this day in alignment with that.”
The Aug. 26, 2018, attack happened at the Southeastern Qualifier Tournament for competitors in the “Madden 19” video game. The suspect killed himself.
ESPN reported that gunfire erupted within 10 minutes or so of the suspect’s loss by single-elimination on the tournament’s second day. Authorities believe the suspected shooter used one of two handguns he had in the venue at Jacksonville Landing, a marketplace.
The suspect, listed as a previous “Madden” contest winner, appeared to have targeted fellow gamers, authorities said. Jacksonville County’s sheriff at the time, Mike Williams, said the suspect was likely familiar with the victims.
People gather in prayer after the shooting
Gov. DeSantis calls suspect a ‘scumbag,’ says attack was ‘a very cowardly act’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he spoke to Jacksonville Sheriff Waters about the shooting and called the suspect a “scumbag” and his actions “a very cowardly act.”
DeSantis, who was campaigning today in Manly, Iowa, for the Republican nomination for president, spoke about the violence in a video.
“This shooting, based on the manifesto that they discovered from the scumbag that did this, was racially motivated,” DeSantis said. “He was targeting people based on their race. That is totally unacceptable.”
The governor offered condolences to family of the victims.
“This guy killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions,” the governor said. “And so he took the coward’s way out. But we condemn what happened in the strongest possible terms.”
DeSantis, who just finished a two-day PAC-sponsored bus tour of northwest Iowa, will be returning home early from campaigning, spokesperson Jeremy Redfern said.
Shooter left messages detailing his ‘disgusting ideology of hate’, sheriff says
The shooter in today’s racially motivated attack left three messages that detailed, in part, his “disgusting ideology of hate,” the sheriff said.
He authored three of the messages, Waters said, to his parents, the media and federal agents.
At 1:18 p.m., the shooter texted his father and told him to check his computer. The shooter’s parents called the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at 1:53 p.m., but at that point the shooting had already started, Waters said.
Shooter’s firearms were marked with swastikas
The firearms possessed by the suspected shooter were marked with swastikas, Waters said today.
He confirmed the symbolism on the weapons, and his office displayed images of the guns that included the markings.
The firearms, Waters said, did not belong to the suspect’s parents.
“His parents didn’t want them in their house,” the sheriff said.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said she was heartbroken by the attack.
“You see the swastikas on the gun?” she said. “We must do everything that we can to dissuade this type of hate.”
FBI to investigate shooting as a hate crime
The shooting at a Jacksonville Dollar General today will be investigated as a hate crime, the FBI special agent in charge for the Jacksonville area said.
“We have opened a federal civil rights investigation and we will pursue this incident as a hate crime,” said the bureau’s Sherri Onks during a news conference.
Shooter killed three at Dollar General before killing himself
Three people — all Black – were killed in the shooting today at a Dollar General, Waters said.
The gunman, a white man in his early 20s, intentionally targeted Black people, the sheriff said.
“This shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people,” Waters said at a news conference. “He wanted to kill n——.”
The victims and the gunman have not been publicly identified.
