JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Aug. 26, 2023, a community was shook after a racially motivated attack was carried out in Jacksonville's Grand Park area.
Three Black people at a Dollar General on Kings Road were targeted, shot and killed by a man from Clay County. Angela Carr, Jerald Gallion and Anotl Joseph "AJ" Laguerre Jr. were fatally shot.
On the exact day, one year later, the store was closed, but it would have opened at 8 a.m. Nowadays, the community keeps the homemade memorial in front of the store intact. It serves as a reminder to never forget the innocent victims who lost their lives.
As for the Dollar General, the store has since undergone a remodeling on the inside and opened back up to the public five months after the incident. The memorial, throughout the year, has withstood the test of time. Volunteers such as Grady Sherman would make sure it was maintained with fresh flowers, stuffed animals and sometimes newly printed pictures.
What happened at the store, Grady said, he will never forget.
"To past down this street every day and watch this memorial, it never leaves your mind and always wondering 'what if,'" Grady told First Coast News. "It (the memorial) became a mission to make it look its best so people will remember."
To this day, the horrific tragedy hits close to the families who were devastatingly impacted. Florida State Representative Angie Nixon said she keeps in touch with them and they need help.
"I am still in contact with many of them and trying to provide them the mental health resources they need to get over this," Nixon said.
The representative explained how more needs to be done to make sure this kind of attack does not happen again.
Furthermore, Nixon expressed disappointment towards city council for not passing a local hate crime bill, something Councilman Jimmy Peluso championed.
"I just want to make sure marginalized communities have a voice," Nixon told First Coast News.
Mayor Donna Deegan recently revealed renderings of a historical marker that would serve as a permanent tribute to the victims, as it is supposed to be made public in the upcoming weeks.
To Sherman, as long as the memorial stands, so will the memories of Carr, Gallion and Laguerre Jr.
"The beauty of this is to enhance their lives," said Sherman.