Jacksonville Shooter Was Under 72-Hour Mental Evaluation in 2017: New – Rolling Stone

DHS call on jacksonville shooting


Eleven minutes after the Jacksonville shooter, Ryan Christopher Palmeter, was spotted in the parking lot of Edward Waters University, a historically Black institution, the first 911 call was received, as discussed on a call on Monday with the Jacksonville Sheriff to brief national law enforcement and local leaders.

During the call, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters ran through a second-by-second account of the events leading up to, during, and after the shooting. “In 2017 the sheriff said, “He went for 72 hour evaluation, but he was not committed to a mental institution.” He added on the call that he believed the shooter was able to legally purchase firearms in April and June this year because the 2017 evaluation did not result in him being committed to a mental institution and because he was 15 at the time.  

“I want to start by offering my deepest condolences to victims of this despicable attack and to their families and to everyone in the Jacksonville community,” said FBI Director Chris Wray on the afternoon call with partner agencies and community members to provide an update on the investigation and to offer resources from across the government.  

“I can only imagine the terrible pain that you and your neighbors are experiencing now and feelings of loss that will stay with you in the days and weeks and months to come.” 

He added: “The FBI is committed to thoroughly and aggressively investigating Saturdays attack because we are not going to tolerate racially motivated violence in our country.” Wray said the investigation to this point, “reveals the perpetrator of Saturday’s attack through his own writings, through the references he made, and through his actions, make clear his intentions, his actions his motivations his hate.”

“I want to be crystal clear from everything we know now, this was a targeted attack, a hate crime that was racially motivated,” Wray said. “Heinous crimes like these rip at heart of community directly effected but also understandably cause concern about other threats that may be out there and they bring about anxiety and pain for the entire African American community and for our nation as a whole.” 

Palmeter, who was white, 21, shot and killed three people — and then himself — at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville Saturday, Aug. 26, The three victims, all of whom were Black, were identified by authorities as Angela Michelle Carr, 52; Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr., 19; and Jerrald Gallion, 29. 

“I am broken. She was my everything even on the worst days,” Carr’s daughter Meghan Griiffin, wrote on Facebook, early Sunday morning. She later added: “This gotta be the Twilight Zone. Ain’t no way he just walked up and point blank killed my mama. This is really hard.”

Gallion’s girlfriend, Elvesha Deloach, who was with him at the time of the shooting, recounted part of the experience in a post, saying: “I had to run from someone shooting at me and seen Dee get shot.” She later added, “God I thank you, I really do. [You] allowed me to come home to my 3 kids. But [why] take Dee from his?”

At a press conference later that night Sheriff T.K. Waters said the shooting was “racially motivated” and reviled that Palmeter, who was white, had written several manifestos. One was addressed to his parents, while others were for the news media and federal agents. 

“Portions of these manifestos detailed the shooter’s disgusting ideology of hate,” Waters said. “Plainly put, this shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people.”

On Saturday, Palmeter had apparently texted his father and told him to check his computer not long after he’d left his home in Orange Park, Florida and headed to Jacksonville. That led Palmeter’s family to notify the authorities, though by that time, Palmeter had already opened fire at the Dollar General. According to authorities, he was wearing a tactical vest and was armed with a handgun and an AR-15 rifle with swastika markings on it. 

Prior to heading to to the Dollar General, Palmeter apparently stopped at the nearby campus of Edwards Waters University, a historically Black institution. However, Palmeter was turned away by an on-campus security officer after he refused to identify himself. 

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A vigil for the three victims was held Sunday, Aug. 27, in Jacksonville, and featured an appearance from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Several people in the crowd booed DeSantis, with one person shouting, “Your policies caused this!” Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman was forced to step in and say, “It ain’t about parties today. A bullet don’t know a party.”

This is a developing story…



Source link: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/jacksonville-shooter-under-72-hour-mental-evaluation-in-2017-1234813735/

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