Mass Shooting in Jacksonville, Florida

Introduction

U.S. authorities said the militant, driven by racial hatred, shot dead three black people in Jacksonville, Florida, and then committed suicide.

Details of the Shooting

Sheriff T.K. Waters said the shooter, a white male in his early 20s, was wearing a tactical vest, had an AR rifle and a handgun in his possession when he started shooting at the Dollar General Store.

Motive and Target

He added: “He targeted a certain group of people and they were black. These are the ones he said he wanted to kill. This is very clear,” noting that the three victims were two men and a woman.

Hate Crime Investigation

Waters told a press conference that the letters found by the perpetrator’s family before the attack “detailed his abhorrent hate ideology”.

The FBI will investigate the shooting as a hate crime, said Sherry Onkes, FBI special agent in Jacksonville.

Increasing Concerns

Mass shootings are becoming a worrying phenomenon in the United States: firearms are easy to buy in most states, and per capita numbers are on the rise.

Source

Source: AFP