Ryan Christopher Palmeter is accused of carrying out a racially motivated shooting that killed three Black Americans at a Dollar General location in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday, according to authorities.
“Plainly put, the shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said during a news conference Saturday.
Palmeter was a White 21-year-old man who opened fire at a Dollar Tree in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Jacksonville with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and a Glock handgun after 1 p.m. Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office.
The suspect turned the gun on himself during the shooting, authorities said.
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Ryan Christopher Palmeter, 21, was identified as the Dollar General shooter in Jacksonville, Florida. (Jacksonville County Sheriff’s Office)
Palmeter does not appear to have an active social media presence. Fox News Digital found a single tweet on an X account, formerly known as Twitter, belonging to a person named Ryan Palmeter, @ryan_palmeter, who celebrated his acceptance to Flagler College in Florida.
“Looking forward to a bright career in Business Administration! #FlaglerMakes,” the account tweeted on Nov. 1, 2019. It is the only tweet on the X account.
The X account’s bio states that he was an Oakleaf High School attendee with a 3.5 GPA who was certified in a range of Adobe platforms and “drinks too many AriZona products.”
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On Saturday, officials said the shooter had once been involved in a 2016 domestic violence incident and was once involuntarily committed to a mental hospital for examination. No further details on those incidents were provided.
Palmeter is suspected of killing two men and one woman at the Dollar Tree on Saturday. Images shared on the sheriff’s Facebook page show white lettering and symbols painted on the AR-15 rifle, including what appears to be a swastika.
The gunman allegedly left his parents’ home around 11:40 a.m. Saturday in Clay County before traveling to a neighboring county to carry out the shooting. The shooter was reportedly spotted on the campus of Edward Waters University, a Christian and historically Black college, before he headed to the Dollar Tree to carry out the shooting, according to the sheriff.
The shooter carried an AR-15 semiautomatic rife, pictured above, along with a Glock handgun, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said Saturday. (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office)
Waters said Palmeter approached the first victim, identified as Angela Carr, shooting her through the window of her black Kia in the parking lot in front of the store.
Palmeter then walked into the store and opened fire, the sheriff said.
In addition to the apparent swastika depiction, Waters said the shooter wrote “several manifestos,” with portions describing the suspect’s “disgusting ideology of hate.”
Waters said the gunman acted alone and “there is absolutely no evidence the shooter is part of any larger group.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis condemned the attack as being carried out by a “scumbag” who targeted “people based on their race.”
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“We condemn what happened in the strongest possible terms,” DeSantis said in a video message after the shooting. “We’ve offered support for Sheriff Waters and the city of Jacksonville. And we send our condolences to the victims and their families, who were the victims of a very cowardly act.”
“This shooting, based on the manifesto they discovered from the scumbag that did this, was racially motivated,” DeSantis said in a video message. “He was targeting people based on their race. That is totally unacceptable.”
Jacksonville police officers block the perimeter of the scene of a mass shooting, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo / John Raoux)
“He lived with his parents in Orange Park in Clay County, Florida,” Waters said in a press conference. “To our knowledge, he had no criminal or arrest history.”
Residents talk with Jacksonville police officers near the scene of a mass shooting at a Dollar General store, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo / John Raoux)
Palmeter was reportedly wearing a tactical vest when he carried out the shooting.
His parents, who have not been identified by police, were notified of the shooting at 1:53 p.m. Saturday, the New York Times reported.
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
