Ryan PalmeterThe alleged gunman Three people were shot dead at a Dollar General store in jacksonville, flA man on Saturday was able to legally purchase the weapons used in the attack, law enforcement said, despite being transferred to state care after a mental health crisis.
Palmeter was armed with an AR-15 and a Glock pistol and was wearing a tactical vest and face mask when he pulled into the discount store parking lot around 1 p.m. Saturday and fired 11 rounds into a black Kia, killing the driver. 52-year-old Angela Michelle Carr.
He then entered the store in the city’s New Town neighborhood and allowed some shoppers to leave before opening fire on those who stayed, shooting store clerk Anault Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr., 19, and customer Jarald Deshon Galleon, 29, before killing them both. Finally he turned one of the weapons on himself.
Speaking at a news conference Sunday, Sheriff TK Waters explained that Palmeter left “numerous data” behind for his parents to find on his computer at the home he shared with them in Orange Park, Clay County, that outlined his white supremacist beliefs.
“Parts of this data detail the disgusting ideology of hate espoused by the shooter,” Sheriff Waters said.
“Honestly, the shooting was racially motivated, and he hated black people. He wanted to kill n******. This is the only time I will use that word. I want to be very clear that there is absolutely no evidence that the shooter is part of any large group. We know he acted completely alone.”
However, the sheriff said there was no a priori reason to believe Palmeter was a threat: “There was no criminal record, nothing. There were no red flags.”
As for the weapons used, Sheriff Waters said they were legally obtained in April and June of this year.
“In this case, there was nothing illegal in his possession of firearms,” he added, stressing that the weapons were not owned by the suspect’s parents, who refused to allow him to keep the firearms in their home.
A photo shared on the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page over the weekend showed a close-up of one of the weapons, with at least one marked with a swastika.
The weapon was an AR-15 with the words “Palmetto State Armory” and “PA-15” engraved on it, and the manufacturer’s website describes the PA-15 as “Our Interpretation of the Legendary AR-15 Rifle I Loved”.
Although Palmeter had no criminal record, he was previously involved in a 2016 domestic incident involving his brother James – who is It said The sheriff said he was now serving a prison sentence for armed robbery – but had not been arrested.
More importantly, he was also taken into state custody in 2017 under the state of Florida baker Law, A law allowing people to be “taken to a reception facility for forced examination” for up to 72 hours if they are considered a danger to themselves or others during a mental health crisis.
Speaking to CNN later on Sunday, Sheriff Waters said to explain: “If there is a situation under the Baker Act, they are forbidden to have weapons.”
When asked why, in this case, Palmeter was able to purchase it, the sheriff said, “We don’t know whether the Baker Act was properly recorded, and whether it was considered complete by the Baker Act.”
The investigation is ongoing but the sheriff’s words seem to illustrate two possible scenarios – an administrative error or a positive judgment on Palmeter’s safety – which may explain why he was allowed to purchase the guns after he was flagged as a cause for concern and subject to examination. By medical professionals under the law.
Since Saturday’s attack, National Rifle Association (NRA) chose it Put up a defense with AR weaponsHe declared on social media that “millions of law-abiding citizens own and use AR-15 rifles to defend themselves and their families.”
