Four people, including the suspect, were left dead after a “racially motivated” shooting in Jacksonville, Florida Saturday afternoon.
Jacksonville Sheriff, T.K. Waters, said during a press conference that the alleged suspect behind the shooting that left four Black people dead had been a white male in his 20s, according to a video from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Facebook. Waters said based on three manifestos of the shooter’s that were recovered, the shooting had been “racially motivated.”
“This shooting was racially motivated and he hated Black people,” Waters said.
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to news of the shooting, labeling it as “horrific” and “unacceptable.”
“This guy killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions,” DeSantis said. “And so, he took the coward’s way out, but we condemn what happened in the strongest possible terms, we’ve offered support for Sheriff Waters and the city of Jacksonville, and we send our condolences to the victims and their families who were the victims of a very cowardly act.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responds to the shooting in Jacksonville: pic.twitter.com/uxj08bxJsy
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) August 26, 2023
Prior to the shooting, the alleged suspect had been on the campus of Edward Waters University, a historically Black Christian university. Waters said that he was unable to tell reporters what the shooter’s “mindset was” while on campus, but pointed to how he had “put his vest on” and gone “directly to Dollar General.” The university confirmed in a statement that a security officer had “engaged” with the suspect at the library who refused to provide his identity and “was asked to leave.”
Around 1 p.m., the alleged suspect, wearing a “tactical vest,” armed with an “AR-style rifle and a handgun,” opened fire at the Dollar General, located near Edward Waters University. The suspect opened fire on three people before he took his own life, Waters said.
Waters said that the alleged shooter then texted his father, telling him to “check his computer.” By the time the father had checked the computer and discovered the manifestos and contacted authorities, the shooting had reportedly begun.
“We are still in the very early stages of this investigation,” Waters said, noting that there was still information not known. (RELATED: Colorado Police Say Alleged Scooter Thieves Fatally Shot Father After He ‘Confronted’ Them In His Backyard)
The suspect, who had been involved in a “2016 domestic call” that resulted in no arrest,” wrote “several manifestos” which were sent to his parents, the media and one to federal agents, Waters said.
“Portions of these manifestos detail the shooter’s disgusting ideology of hate,” Waters said.
The Dollar General shooting comes on the anniversary of the Jacksonville Landing shooting that occurred on August 26, 2018, claiming the lives of three people, including the suspect and injuring others.