FOUR people, including the gunman, have died in a mass shooting at a Dollar General store that officials said was racially motivated.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters and an FBI agent confirmed on Saturday evening that the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.
The alleged shooter - a white man armed with a tactical vest, AR-style rifle, and handgun - reportedly began shooting at a local Dollar General store just before 1pm.
Two males and a female - all of whom are Black - were killed in the shooting, Waters said.
The alleged shooter, a man in his early 20s who police have not publicly identified, then turned the gun on himself, according to officials.
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Waters said the shooter left multiple manifestos in his parents' home in Clay County and texted his father to check his computer before carrying out the shooting.
The alleged shooter's parents contacted the Clay County Sheriff’s Office after finding the manifestos, which Waters contained a "disgusting ideology of hate."
"This shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people," Waters said.
Officials also shared images of the guns used in the shooting - one of which had Nazi symbols.
"It's a shooting that should not have happened under any circumstances," Waters said, adding that it is "a dark day in Jacksonville's history."
"The hate that motivated the shooter's killing spree adds an additional layer of heartbreak," he added.
Waters also noted that there is no evidence that the shooter was part of a large group, and that he acted alone.
Sherri Onks, special agent at the Jacksonville FBI office, confirmed that the incident would be pursued as a hate crime.
"Hate crimes are always and will always remain a top priority for the FBI because they are not only an attack on a victim, they're also meant to threaten and intimidate an entire community," Onks said.
GUNMAN POSSIBLY SPOTTED AT NEARBY HBCU
There were no additional gunshot wound victims, Waters said, and there is no longer a threat to the public.
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In addition, a campus alert has been sent out to nearby Edward Waters University, a historically Black college or university (HBCU) in the area.
Students are being kept in their dorms until the scene has been cleared.
Officials said the alleged shooter reportedly went behind the library on campus and put a ballistic vest and mask on minutes before the shooting.
University security tried to capture the man but he fled the scene.
Police have also arrived at a home in Clay County - reportedly connected to the shooting.
Local outlet WJXT reported that the home belongs to the alleged shooter's parents.
Investigators were seen leaving the home with a computer, the outlet reported.
SWAT teams, the FBI, and ATF all responded to the scene.
OFFICIALS RESPOND
Florida's Governor and 2024 Republican Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has released a video statement acknowledging the shooting.
"The shooting, based on the manifesto that they've discovered from the scumbag that did this, was racially motivated," DeSantis said.
"He was targeting people based on their race. That is totally unacceptable.
"He took the coward's way out," DeSantis said of the alleged shooter.
"We condemn what happened in the strongest possible terms."
Local officials who responded to the scene have also spoken out.
“This is unacceptable,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan told WJXT.
“One shooting is too much but these mass shootings are really hard to take.”
District 13 State Representative Angie Nixon told WJXT: “These are things that we want to try to avoid by making sure that our communities are fully resourced, making sure we’re creating a climate of love and not tension."
Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman also spoke to WJXT, saying her heart was heavy following news of another shooting in the community.
“I’m tired of seeing all the shootings,” Pittman said.
“The people in this community are hurting.”
