A chilling video has emerged that captures the racist and crazed gunman entering a Jacksonville Dollar General with an AR-15 rifle and shooting dead three people in a racially motivated attack. Ryan Palmeter, 21 was identified as the gunman, police confirmed on Sunday. Police also detailed a manifesto he left behind, Calling it the "diary of a madman."
Palmeter carried out a fatal attack with an assault rifle covered with Nazi swastikas on Saturday, after which he took his own life, as reported by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters said that Palmeter's actions were motivated by a repugnant ideology of hatred.
Just Out of Sheer Hatred
The terrifying video shows Palmeter entering the Dollar General. He is seen wearing a cap and carrying an AR-15 rifle covered with Nazi swastikas. After entering through the glass doors, Palmeter can be seen aiming his gun and stars shooting at people in a racially motivated attack.
The victims were identified as Angela Michelle Carr, 52; Anolt Joseph 'A.J.' Laguerre Jr., 19; and Jarrald De'Shawn Gallion, 29.
Sheriff T.K. Waters revealed that the attacker "hated black people" and "wanted to kill n******", expressing his desire to harm them using derogatory language. He described the shooting as a "dark day in Jacksonville's history."
Both the rifle and handgun used in the attack were legally owned and bought. Sheriff Waters said that the firearms were purchased following proper legal procedures through dealers Wild West Guns and Orange Park Gun and Pawn.
Acknowledging that the shooting occurred on the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, President Joe Biden commented said: "Even as we continue searching for answers, we must say clearly and forcefully that white supremacy has no place in America."
The president said that both his wife and he were in mourning for the victims. "On Saturday, our nation marked the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington — a seminal moment in our history and in our work towards equal opportunity for all Americans,' he said in a statement.
"But this day of remembrance and commemoration ended with yet another American community wounded by an act of gun violence, reportedly fueled by hate-filled animus and carried out with two firearms."
Biden said that a federal civil rights investigation has been launched in response to the incident. Authorities are approaching the shooting as a potential hate crime and an instance of domestic violent extremism.
"Even as we continue searching for answers, we must say clearly and forcefully that white supremacy has no place in America," he said.
"We must refuse to live in a country where Black families going to the store or Black students going to school live in fear of being gunned down because of the color of their skin. Hate must have no safe harbor. Silence is complicity and we must not remain silent."
Planned Attack
Palmeter left his home at 11:59 am for Jacksonville and sent a message to his father, prompting him to check his computer. Upon discovering the disturbing manifesto, his parents contacted the sheriff's office at 1:53 pm, but regrettably, Palmeter had already begun his carnage.
Records indicate that he had been linked to a domestic incident in 2016, though no arrests were made.
Also, in 2017, he was subjected to the state's Baker Act, which allows for involuntary confinement and mental health evaluation lasting up to 72 hours in a mental health facility.
The FBI and local authorities are conducting an investigation and are treating the incident as a hate crime.
Palmeter lived with his parents in Clay County and sent a manifesto to both law enforcement and media outlets prior to launching his attack. This document outlined his deeply rooted racial hatred.
Just before the assault, Palmeter was seen donning tactical gear near the Edward Waters University (EWU) campus. Despite security personnel at the historically black college attempting to restrain him, he successfully managed to evade them.
The suspect's parents contacted the Sheriff's Office after finding a distressing manifesto which contained a "disgusting ideology of hate." "This shooting was racially motivated, and he hated black people," Waters, who is black, said at a news conference.
"He wanted to kill 'n******'."
He continued, saying that despite the shooter's use of an assault rifle covered with Nazi swastikas and his possession of a handgun, there is "absolutely no evidence" that he is a member of any bigger group. The shooter was in his 20s.
"This is a dark day in Jacksonville's history," the sheriff said. "Any loss of life is tragic, but the hate that motivated the shooter's killing spree adds an additional layer of heartbreak."
Palmeter fatally shot himself before being arrested.
In response to the incident, law enforcement personnel from both the Clay County Sheriff's Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office were positioned outside Palmeter's home.
