The loved ones of the three victims of the deadly shooting at a Dollar General Store in Jacksonville, Florida, have filed a lawsuit.
In August, a white gunman entered the store and opened fire, killing 52-year-old Angela Michelle Carr, 19-year-old Anolt Joseph “A.J.” Laguerre Jr., and 29-year-old Jerrald Gallion — all of whom are Black. Laguerre was an employee at the store, Gallion was a customer, and Carr was an Uber driver dropping off a rider.
Officials said the shooting was “racially motivated,” and the man behind it, identified as Ryan Palmeter, took his own life. Authorities found manifestos that illustrated the 21-year-old’s “disgusting ideology of hate.” He also had a history of domestic violence and mental health issues.
The complaint was filed on Monday, Dec. 4, and lists several defendants, including the parents of the shooter, Mary and Stephen Palmeter, the site owner, and the security contractor, per the 91-page document published by the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union. It seeks an undisclosed amount in damage over $50,000.
The filing highlights the events that occurred before Palmeter made it to the Dollar General store where the rampage took place. Before the shooting, he stopped at a Family Dollar and Edward Waters University, an HBCU, where campus police spooked him.
“A criminal’s safe haven, this Dollar General was devoid of meaningful security measures. While Palmeter was deterred from harming the public at his two preceding stops at this Dollar General, there was nothing in place to again deter Palmeter from attacking and killing innocent persons,” the document said. “Adorning a tactical vest and armed with a Glock handgun and an AR-15 marked with swastikas, Palmeter unleashed a barrage of gunfire upon innocent invitees of the Dollar General.”
It argues that the store was located in a” high crime area” where a string of illegal activity like assaults, shootings, robberies, and…
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