Three people are dead after what Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said was a “racially-motivated” shooting at a Dollar General that prompted heavy police and SWAT response in Northwest Jacksonville, according to Local 10 sister station WJXT.
Waters confirmed that the man who killed numerous people in a mass shooting with an AR-15, which had swastikas drawn on it and a Glock was seen on Edward Waters University’s campus moments before gunfire erupted.
The shooter, who has not been identified, lives in Clay County with his parents, Waters said. He was involved in a domestic call with no arrests in 2016 and was also confined through the Baker Act in 2017, according to the sheriff.
According to Waters, two Black men and a Black woman were killed. No one else was injured, the sheriff said.
Just after 11:30 a.m., Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook told the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office that the shooter left the Clay County area and was headed to Jacksonville.
By 1:18 p.m., the shooter sent a text to his father, telling him to check his computer, Waters said. That’s when the shooter’s parents called the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and told deputies they found a manifesto in their Oakleaf home.
Waters said three manifestos were written that expressed a “disputing ideology of hate.” They were written, according to the sheriff, to the media, his parents and federal agents.
“To plainly put, this shooting was racially motivated and he hated Black people,” Waters said. “This is a dark day in Jacksonville. Any loss of life is tragic, but the hate that motivated the shooter’s killing spree adds an additional layer of heartbreak.”
Waters also confirmed that the shooter was spotted putting on a mask and ballistics vest at EWU before heading to Dollar General. Campus security attempted to catch the shooter but he got away.
EWU officials sent out an alert to students about the situation as they were told to remain in their residence halls until the scene was cleared.
The sheriff said the shooter’s intentions were to target a “certain group of people.”
“I don’t know that the targets were specific, but I know that any member of that race, at that time, was in danger,” Waters said.
Deegan also addressed the media at the conference saying, “We must do everything we can to dissuade this type of hate.”
Waters said there is no evidence that the shooter is associated with any hate groups.
“This is unacceptable,” Deegan said when she spoke to News4JAX at the scene. “One shooting is too much but these mass shootings are really hard to take.”
Deegan was talking with officials and District 13 State Representative Angie Nixon, who represents the neighborhood as she learned what happened.
A witness, who was moments from walking into the store, said the only thing that kept him from entering the Dollar General was when he realized he didn’t have any money on him, so he went to another store nearby.
Moments later, according to the witness, he heard gunshots ring out. He said the shooter was firing at cars before he went inside the store.
The witness said he turned around and saw a woman running and another man fall back.
Nixon also called the situation “tragic” and said they were trying to calm the residents down and offer support.
“These are things that we want to try to avoid by making sure that our communities are fully resourced, making sure we’re creating a climate of love and not tension,” Nixon expressed.
City leaders were seen gathering in the street for a prayer circle over the tragedy.
Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman said her heart is heavy.
“I’m tired of seeing all the shootings,” Pittman said through tears. “The people in this community are hurting.”
A spokesperson for Dollar General sent the following statement:
“We are heartbroken by the senseless act of violence that occurred at our Kings Road store in Jacksonville, Florida today. At this time, supporting our Jacksonville employees and the DG family impacted by this tragedy is a top priority as we work closely with law enforcement.”
Numerous Jacksonville Fire and Rescue were also responding to the scene.
Just before 4:15 p.m., some JSO officers and JFRD crews were seen leaving the area.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are also investigating.
This shooting comes five years to the day when a shooter killed 2 people and injured 11 others before turning the gun on himself at a gaming tournament at a Chicago Pizza in the former Jacksonville Landing.
Deegan said that the shooter acknowledged the Landing shooting in his manifesto.