Jacksonville shooting investigated as hate crime, AG Merrick Garland says

Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Saturday's shooting in Jacksonville, Fla., that killed three Black people as a hate crime and an act of racially motivated violent extremism, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

"Three people were killed in a horrific act of hate. In the wake of the mass shooting, FBI and ATF agents responded to the scene and are continuing to work closely with local law enforcement on the ground," Garland said Sunday in a statement, referring to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

"The Justice Department is investigating this attack as a hate crime and an act of racially motivated violent extremism. The entire Justice Department extends its deepest condolences to the loved ones of the victims and to the Jacksonville community as they mourn an unimaginable loss."

The three were slain Saturday when a White gunman, identified as 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter of Orange Park, Fla., opened fire at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville.

The victims were identified earlier Sunday as 52-year-old Angela Michelle Carr, 19-year-old Anolt Joseph "A.J." Laguerre Jr. and 29-year-old Jarrald De'Shaun Gallion.

Palmeter, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, had written manifestos detailing his desire to kill Black people, according to authorities who also said that one of the firearms he used in the shooting was marked with a swastika.

Jacksonville County Sheriff T.K. Waters said during a Sunday press conference that the shooting was being investigated by the FBI as a potential hate crime.

"Plainly put, this shooting was racially motivated. He hated Black people," he said. "This is a dark day in Jacksonville's history. Any loss of life is tragic, but the hate that motivated the shooter's killing spree adds an additional layer of heartbreak."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis condemned the shooting, which he called "racially motivated" and perpetrated by "a deranged scumbag."

"Perpetrating violence of this kind is unacceptable and targeting people due to their race has no place in the state of Florida," he said during a press conference.

DeSantis is receiving backlash over the shooting, and was booed Sunday during a vigil held for the victims.

Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, described DeSantis' condemnation during an interview with MSNBC as "hollow statements."

"This is a governor who has done nothing but fan, fan these types of happenings throughout our state. At the end of the day, the governor has blood on his hands," she said.

"He has had an all-out attack on the Black community with his anti-woke policies, which we know very well was nothing more than a dog whistle to get folks riled up in a way it just happened yesterday."

The Legal Defense Fund, which fights for racial justice, said Saturday's shooting was the result of the state's lax gun laws and Florida having cultivated "ignorance, anti-Blackness and bigotry," specifically pointing to the state's new school curriculum on Black history that critics say diminishes the effects of slavery.

"Every single person advancing this racist rhetoric has blood on their hands. And those who shamelessly capitulated to these efforts and backed away from truthful, inclusive educational goals are also culpable," it said in a statement, calling on the White House and federal agencies to tackle the rise in hate crimes and the threat posed by lax gun laws.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris issued separate statements of condolence on Sunday.

"Even as we continue searching for answers, we must say clearly and forcefully that White supremacy has no place in America," Biden said.

"We must refuse to live in a country where Black families going to the store or Black students going to school live in fear of being gunned down because of the color of their skin. Hate must have no safe harbor. Silence is complicity and we must not remain silent."