Florida Gunman Who Killed 3 Was Once Detained For Mental Health Crisis
But because Ryan Christopher Palmeter, 21, was not arrested during the previous domestic incident, the Jacksonville sheriff said there was "nothing we could have done to stop him from owning a rifle or a handgun.” Authorities say Palmeter tried and failed to enter a historically Black college before going to a Dollar General store, where he killed three Black people using an AR-15-style rifle.
The New York Times:
11 Fatal Minutes That Have Jacksonville Confronting Racism Yet Again
In the span of 11 terrifying minutes, a gunman targeting Black people killed two shoppers and an employee at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Fla., a rampage that the authorities are investigating as a hate crime and that has reverberated through a community that has long coped with the legacy of racism. The shooting on Saturday, on the same day that the nation commemorated the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, prompted somber vigils and renewed vows for unity from residents and officials, but also a tense appearance by the governor in a city that in recent years has dealt with a series of hateful incidents and a continuing dispute over Confederate monuments. (Manna, Betts and Mazzei, 8/27)
The Washington Post:
Jacksonville Shooter Bought Guns Legally Before Racist Attack That Killed 3
Jacksonville police on Sunday said law enforcement had been called about the gunman previously in a domestic incident, and he also had been held during a mental health crisis. But those cases did not result in a criminal record, so there was no legal reason to stop him from acquiring the guns he purchased this year between April and July. (Shammas, Cadell and Javaid, 8/27)
AP:
Jacksonville Killings Refocus Attention On The City's Racist Past And The Struggle To Move On
The shooting occurred as the Jacksonville community prepared for an annual commemoration of what is known as Ax Handle Saturday. In an unforgettable exhibition of brutality 63 years ago, a mob of white people used baseball bats and ax handles to club peaceful Black demonstrators protesting segregation at a downtown lunch counter on Aug. 27, 1960. Police first stood by but joined the white mob when the Black group began fighting back. Instead of collaring any white instigators, police arrested several Black people. (Calvan, 8/28)
The Florida Times-Union:
Gov. Ron DeSantis Jeered As Jacksonville Community Calls For Action In Wake Of Hate Crime
“Our Jax community and nation are shaken to the core,” Katie Hathaway of Moms Demand Action said. “Another horrific tragedy the United States has come to normalize for the sake of someone’s ‘rights.’ An extremist with hate in his heart and easy access to guns targeted our Jax Black community, armed with a military style weapon with swastikas on it.” (Holthaus, 8/27)
In other news about the gun violence epidemic —
AP:
As Research Grows Into How To Stop Gun Violence, One City Looks To Science For Help
Gun violence prevention research has experienced a small boom in the wake of mounting shooting deaths, expanded funding and burgeoning advocacy. (Stobbe, 8/24)
The New York Times:
A Lawmaker Hid One Key Fact As He Fought Checks On Gun Shops
One of two gun stores owned by Representative Andrew Clyde in Georgia, Clyde Armory in Athens, was placed in a monitoring program in 2020 and 2021. (Thrush, 8/25)
