Law enforcement in Jacksonville said the white gunman who shot and killed three Black people at a Dollar General store on Saturday was a 21-year-old who bought his guns legally and had no criminal history.
Recommended Videos
“Jacksonville, Florida is a wonderful place, full of wonderful people and one evil man who decides to take his hateful rhetoric and his hateful thoughts and put those into action. They cannot shake our resolve and we will not allow it to do so,” Sheriff T.K. Waters said.
Waters said the shooting was racially motivated.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
Investigators said the shooter left several manifestos detailing his hatred for Black people.
According to police, the shooter used a handgun and an “AR-15 style” rifle, with swastikas on it.
The victims have been identified as Angela Michelle Carr; 52, AJ Laguerre Jr; 19, and Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, 29.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is assisting with security for nearby Edward Waters University, a historically Black college after it was discovered that the shooter first tried entering the campus before carrying out the massacre at the dollar store.
Forecasters said Tropical Storm Idalia is now on a potential track to come ashore as a Category 3 hurricane.
As of 5 a.m. Monday, Idalia was about 125 miles off the western tip of Cuba with max sustained winds of 65 miles per hour.
The current track shows the storm strengthening over the Gulf of Mexico and making landfall somewhere along Florida’s Big Bend.
“The storms of course as we know these things can wobble so 52 Floridians along our Gulf Coast should be vigilant even if you’re currently outside the cone and indeed you could see impacts if you are in a place that’s outside the cone,” DeSantis said Sunday.
Parts of western Central Florida will likely start feeling the outer bands of the storm by Tuesday.
If you need to stock up on hurricane supplies, you won’t have to pay sales tax on most items.
The state suspended the sales tax on hurricane supplies for the second time this year.
The tax-free list includes portable generators under $3,000, tarps, batteries, flashlights and even pet food.
The sales tax holiday started Saturday and ends Sept. 8.
Random Florida Fact
One mile off the coast of Key Biscayne are the remnants of a neighborhood at sea.
Stiltsville was built in the 1930s as a collection of houses on stilts above the water.
At its peak in 1960, there were 27 structures on the flats, but hurricanes and fires made every building relatively short-lived.
Stories of illegal alcohol and gambling also led to several police raids.
Today, you can tour the abandoned homes from a boat.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: