Deadly Jacksonville shooting is latest racist attack amid rise in hate crimes

John Yang:

Good evening. I'm John Yang. As Americans mark the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King Junior's I Have a Dream speech, yesterday's fatal shooting of three black people by a white gunman in Jacksonville, Florida is a brutal reminder that race based hate is still among us. Authorities say the shooter who turned one of his guns on himself left behind writings detailing his ideology of hate and the FBI says it's investigating the rampage as a hate crime.

Late today, President Biden said in his statement, hate must have no safe harbor. Silence is complicity and we must not remain silent. Our report is from Ali Rogin and we should warn you some of the images may be disturbing.

Ali Rogin:

In the New Town area of Jacksonville, neighbors gathered to lift each other up and grieve.

Ju’Coby Pittman, Jacksonville City Council:

Our community is sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Ali Rogin:

Authorities today named the gunman as Ryan Christopher Palmeter. The shooting began Saturday afternoon at Dollar General Store. The gunman killed two men and one woman all of whom were black. After his killing spree, the shooter texted his father telling him to check his computer where he had left multiple racist manifestos, a suicide note and a will. Police then entered the store and heard a single shot. The shooter was later confirmed to have killed himself.

T.K. Waters, Sheriff, Jacksonville:

I urge us all not to look for sense and a senseless act of violence. There's no reason or explanation that will ever account for the shooters decisions and actions. His sickening ideology is not representative of the values of this Jacksonville community that we all love so much.

Ali Rogin:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis condemned the shooter.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) Florida: Perpetrating violence of this kind is unacceptable and targeting people due to their race has no place in the state of Florida.

Ali Rogin:

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released disturbing photos of the guns the shooter used a handgun and an AR style rifle with swastikas on it. The latest federal statistics show reported hate crimes on the rise. Racism against black people accounts for half of all racially motivated hate crimes.

Saturday shooting was the latest in a series of racist attacks. Last year a gunman targeting black people left 10 dead at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. In 2021, a shooter killed eight people, including six Asian American women in Atlanta. For PBS News Weekend, I'm Ali Rogin.