Jacksonville Florida shooting: Gunman may have planned to target different dollar store before killing three

Three victims, Angela Michelle Carr, 52, Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr, 19, and Jarrald De’Shaun Gallion, 29, were killed in a shooting that took place over the weekend in Jacksonville, Florida.

“It’s no secret at this point that Ron DeSantis’s image has taken a hit since he hit his peak in November 2022 after he cruised to a nearly 20-point re-election as Florida governor in an otherwise dim year from Republicans.

But when he attended a vigil in Jacksonville, a historically Republican city that recently elected a Democratic mayor, the residents of the city were not having it and they heckled the governor.”

Police have released the 911 call made by the father of the Jacksonville gunman who murdered three Black people in a racist attack.

Ryan Palmeter killed Anolt Laguerre Jr, 19, Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, 29, and 52 year-old Angela Carr with a na AR-15 rifle and handgun that he had covered in Nazi swastikas.

The 62-year-old father of Palmeter can be heard telling an emergency dispatcher that his son has stopped taking his psychiatric medicine.

“He left in his car a couple of hours ago,” he says, describing the Honda Element and providing the license plate. “I’m sorry, I’m a little upset,” he tells the dispatcher.

He was then asked if his son had done anything like this before.

“When he was 15, he left a note, a suicide note, and got on his bike and was headed downtown to jump off a building,” he replied.

The father called 911 at 1.53pm EST on Saturday to tell them he was concerned about his son who had left the home several hours earlier.

Officials say that his son had texted him at 1.18pm telling him to check his bedroom where he had left a will, racist writings and a suicide note. The text was sent minutes after he had opened fire in the Dollar General store.

The dispatcher asked the father if his son goes anywhere in particular.

“No, he doesn’t go anywhere,” his father replied. “He flunked out of Flagler College, moved home about a couple of years ago. Had a job for a while at Home Depot and lost that job and pretty much has been living in his room.”

“We do know he’s been receiving psychiatric help, and he’s on meds too,” he added.

”Looks like he stopped taking them,” he said after a question from the dispatcher.

Jacksonville County sheriff TK Waters revealed in a press conference on Monday evening that detectives have discovered new information about the gunman accused of killing three people in a racially motivated shooting this past weekend.

The gunman, identified as 21-year-old Ryan Palmeter, previously worked at a similar discount store to the one he targeted.

“We have confirmed that the shooter previously worked at a Dollar Tree store from October 2021 through July 2022 in the OakLeaf area,” Mr Waters said.

The information comes as investigators discovered the gunman went to a Family Dollar store before going to a Dollar General.

“Based off what we saw him stopping at a Family Dollar, him working at a Dollar Tree previously and then him going to Dollar General, that was his intent the entire time,” Mr Waters said.

President Joe Biden told reporters on Monday that he has not contacted the families of the Jacksonville shooting victims yet adding that one family said they did not want Mr Biden to contact them.

“Two of [the families] are prepared to be contacted, one does not want to be contacted,” Mr Biden said.

“I’m just letting things settle because everyone deals with profound loss in a different way and it’s important – know from experience, it’s important to try and do it in a way that is most helpful and eases the anxiety the most so I haven’t spoken to them yet,” he added.

“DeSantis, and the GOP, have created a climate where violent, racist terrorists have the means and inspiration to commit horrific acts of violence against Black people and other marginalized communities.”

“An increasingly rabid gun rights movement has been cultivated, and with it rabid racist rhetoric, because of what? A political advantage to capitalize on paranoia and hate. And when followers are fed this diet, the result is a political movement that encourages acts of racist political violence.”

A GoFundMe in memory of Jacksonville shooting victim, AJ Laguerre, has already raised $28k.

The fundraiser, set up by Laguerre’s sister, is intended to help the family pay for funeral costs and a memorial for the 19-year-old who was killed on Saturday.

“AJ’s life was marked by resilience and positivity, even in the face of adversity. We lost our mother on January 10, 2009, when AJ was just five years old. Despite this immense loss at such a young age, AJ remained positive and strong for all of us, supporting us through the challenging times that followed our mother’s passing,” the description for the GoFundMe reads.

Laguerre was one of five children and was primarily raised by his grandmother after his mother died, according to the GoFundMe.

“A recent graduate, AJ worked at Dollar General while also pursuing his passion for video games by streaming on the side. He had aspirations of becoming a professional streamer, a dream that was tragically cut short. AJ never had a record, never received a referral in school, and never got into a fight. He was a kind-hearted and gentle soul who loved playing video games and supporting his family and friends.”