JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Describing it as a "dark day in the Jacksonville's history," Sheriff T.K. Waters revealed details of an apparently racially-motivated shooting at a Dollar General store that left four people dead Saturday afternoon, including the gunman.
A white man, on a mission to kill Black people, opened fire at the store on Kings Road, killing two men and one woman before turning a gun on himself, Waters said.
Before the mass shooting, the gunman, who had not been identified as of Saturday night, wrote several manifestos that detailed his "disgusting ideology of hate," Waters said.
"Plainly put, this shooting was racially motivated and he hated Black people," Waters said.
Waters said the shooter's motivation added "an additional layer of heartbreak."
"There's no place for hate in our community, and this is not Jacksonville," Waters said.
Pointing to the backdrop of officials at the press conference, including Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, FBI agents as well as many local leaders, Waters said the shooting wasn't representative of the city.
"That doesn't represent who we are as a city and who we are as a people," Waters said.
Mayor Deegan said she was "heartbroken" after the tragedy.
"It's just something that should not and must not continue to happen in our community," Deegan said. "It's too often the same folks. This type of hate...we must do everything that we can to dissuade this type of hate."
Saturday's shooting took place on the fifth anniversary of a mass shooting at Jacksonville landing, in which a gunman killed 2 people and injured 10 others before taking his own life. That shooting was referenced in the Dollar General shooter's manifesto, Deegan said.
"This was a hate-filled crime, and we shouldn't have that sort of crime in Jacksonville," Deegan said.
Jacksonville FBI agent Sherri Onks said the shooting would be investigated as a hate crime.
"Hate crimes has always and will always remain a time priority for the FBI," Onks said. "Because they are not only attacks on a victim, they are also meant to threaten and intimidate a community."
The shooting happened just before 2 p.m. at a Dollar General about three-quarters of a mile from Edward Waters University, a small historically Black university.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, after speaking by phone with the sheriff, called the shooter a “scumbag" and denounced his racist motivation, according to the Associated Press.
“'This guy killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions. He took the coward's way out,” said DeSantis, who was in Iowa campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination.
Both President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland were briefed on the shooting, officials said.
Dollar General's corporate office said in a statement, “We are heartbroken by the senseless act of violence that occurred at our Kings Road store in Jacksonville, Florida today. At this time, supporting our Jacksonville employees and the DG family impacted by this tragedy is a top priority as we work closely with law enforcement.”
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.