On Sunday, at the church services in Church and Jacksonville, Florida, prayers were offered to mourn the deaths of three victims from the firing that took place at the end of the week and discourage Florida hate crime. This act is being treated as a hate crime by the JUSTICE department.
Near Dollar General Store, where the attack occurred, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida stepped towards the microphone, offering encouragement in the face of the assault. In his capacity as governor, Republican presidential hopeful DeSantis has advocated for leniency in gun laws and has faced criticism from civil rights leaders for his policies against diversity initiatives in schools, which he terms “woke indoctrination.”
The lady council member of Jacksonville, Jocoby Pittman, stepped forward to encourage the demonstrators to listen, saying, “This is not about parties. A bullet doesn’t recognize a party.”
DeSantis mentioned that his state, Edward Waters University, would provide financial assistance on Monday for the affected families.
“What the anonymous did is completely unacceptable in the state of Florida,” the governor declared. We won’t let people be targeted based on their race.”
New FBI data reveals an increase in hate-based crimes in America in 2021. Previously, officials identified the victim of the Dollar General store firing on Sunday. The victim has been identified as AJ Lago, Jr., 19. Gerald DeShawn Gillen, 29; and Angela Michelle Carr, 52, all of whom were Black. Officials stated that no one else was injured in the shooting.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office identified the gunman as 21-year-old Ryan Palmiter, who left a manifesto behind, leading investigators to believe the shooting was a hate crime.
Sheriff T.K. Waters of Shreveport stated during a news conference on Sunday evening that hatred “adds an extra layer of heartbreak to this tragedy.”
According to Attorney General Merrick Garland, the incident is being looked at by the Department of Justice as a hate crime and “an action of violent extremism driven by race.”
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