Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for the GOP nomination for president, was booed loudly at a Sunday evening vigil to honor the three victims of a racially motivated shooting in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday.
DeSantis has worked hard to slacken Florida gun laws and consistently dismissed claims of racism as “wokeness,” which he has vowed to end if elected president.
The Jacksonville County Sheriff’s Office identified Saturday’s shooting victims on Sunday as Angela Michelle Carr, 52; Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr., 19; and Jarrald De’Shaun Gallion, 29. All three victims were Black and were targeted by the gunman, identified as 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter.
Palmeter, who lived with his parents in nearby Orange Park, bought a handgun in April and an AR-15-style rifle in June. He had no criminal arrest history but had been temporarily involuntarily held under the Baker Act in 2017. According to AP News, the involuntary hold would not have appeared on his background checks because Palmeter was released after the examination.
“Our community is grappling with why this atrocity occurred. I urge us all not to look for sense in a senseless act of violence,” Jacksonville County Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a news conference Sunday. “There’s no reason or explanation that will ever account for the shooter’s decisions and actions. His sickening ideology is not representative of the values of this Jacksonville community that we all love so much.”
President Joe Biden President Biden issued a statement denouncing the shooting, adding that a federal civil rights investigation had been launched and that the incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime and act 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. 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,” said Biden. “Jill and I are praying for the victims and their families, and we grieve with the people of Jacksonville.”
