Metropolis Desk-
In Jacksonville, Florida, a gunman shot and killed himself after killing three black persons in a racially motivated attack.
The man entered the Dollar General shop and started shooting, leading to a confrontation with police. He is described as white and in his early 20s.
According to Sheriff T K Waters, the gunman, who was wearing body armor and left manifestos, killed two men and a woman.
Mayor Donna Deegan referred to it as a “hate-filled crime” motivated by racism.
The sheriff claimed the as-yet-unidentified shooter was armed with a handgun and a light semi-automatic rifle.
He is thought to have acted alone and purportedly intended to commit suicide. He left numerous messages about his plans, including one to his parents and another to the media, Sheriff Waters claimed, and he resided in Jacksonville’s Clay County with his parents. The sheriff noted that a swastika was drawn on at least one of the weapons.
The FBI is considering the shooting as a hate crime and has launched a civil rights investigation.
Less than a mile away from the historically black Edwards Waters University, the attack took place.
“One shooting is too much,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan told local television station WJXT. “But these mass shootings are hard to take.”
Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, referred to the shooter as a “scumbag” and termed the incident “horrific.”
Mr. DeSantis, who is running for president of the Republican party, stated that “he [the gunman] was targeting people based on their race, that is unacceptable.”
“This guy took the coward’s way out by killing himself rather than face the consequences and take responsibility for his actions.”
President Joe Biden, according to the White House, was informed about the shooting.
Dollar General said it was “heartbroken by the senseless act of violence that occurred at our Kings Road store” in a statement provided to the BBC’s US partner, CBS News and 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 website Gun Violence Archive, there have been over 28,000 gun deaths in the US so far this year.
On the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.’s well-known “I Have a Dream” speech, there was an attack in Jacksonville. To commemorate the significant turning point in the civil rights movement, tens of thousands of people gathered in the nation’s capital on Saturday.
Source- Al Jazeera
