A White gunman who killed three Black people at a Jacksonville Dollar General store Saturday legally purchased the two firearms used in the racially motivated attack, local law enforcement confirmed.

The man, identified Sunday as 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter of Clay County, Fla., on Saturday drove to Edward Waters University, a historically Black college, but was refused entry, according to the school. He then drove to the nearby store, where he opened fire using an AR-15-style rifle inscribed with Nazi insignia, authorities said.

Police described a methodic rampage that lasted less than 11 minutes and killed Angela Michelle Carr, 52; Anolt Joseph Laguerre Jr., 19; and Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, 29.

Jacksonville police on Sunday said law enforcement had been called about Palmeter previously in a domestic incident, and he also had been held during a mental health crisis. But those cases did not result in a criminal record, so there was no legal reason to stop him from acquiring the guns he purchased this year between April and July.

  • Dressedlikeapenguin@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    25
    arrow-down
    10
    ·
    1 year ago

    They’re always bought legally, by people who should not have access to them. Full back ground checks will stop these incidents, as well as more mandatory reporters

    • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      16
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      And making police mandatory reporters and holding them to some level of accountability. Some school shooter had the cops called on him 30 separate times and was BANNED FROM WEARING A BACKPACK IN SCHOOL yet somehow wasn’t on a list. Mind blowing.