The white gunman responsible for the shooting at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, has been identified as a 21-year-old man with no criminal history. Local law enforcement confirmed that the shooter, Ryan Christopher Palmeter, legally purchased his guns. Sheriff T.K. Waters stated that Palmeter lived with his parents in a suburb of Jacksonville. Despite a domestic violence call involving his brother, there were no other incidents on his record. RushHourDaily was unable to reach the shooter’s family for comment.
Authorities have labeled the shooting as racially motivated, as Palmeter had written “several manifestos” expressing his hatred for Black people. Sheriff Waters revealed that the suspect was captured on video shooting the first victim, a 52-year-old Black woman, in her car outside the Dollar General. He then entered the store and killed two Black men, aged 29 and 19. Palmeter was armed with a handgun and an “AR-15 style” rifle, which had swastikas on it. Prior to the shooting, he attempted to enter a historically Black college, Edward Waters University, but was turned away by campus security.
Edward Waters University later confirmed that the unidentified man who had been denied entry was involved in the shooting near their campus. The institution expressed their regret over the incident. The article concludes with the reporting credits and a brief description of Sarah N. Lynch, the lead reporter for RushHourDaily covering the U.S. Justice Department in Washington, D.C.
