WASHINGTON: The man who gunned down three African-Americans in a racially motivated attack at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday, wanted to kill all black people, police said.

The shooting forced US President Joe Biden to assure non-white Americans “white supremacy has no place in America”, adding that a federal civil rights investigation was treating it “as a possible hate crime and act of domestic violent extremism”.

The shooter, Ryan Christopher Palmeter, a 21-year-old from neighbouring Clay County, shot himself after killing the three.

“His writings and his manifestos were the diary of a madman,” Jacksonville’s Sherriff T. K. Waters told reporters on Monday. “He wanted to kill all black people.” He has left behind multiple manifestos detailing his hatred of Black people.

The sheriff identified the three victims as Angela Michelle Carr, 52; Anolt Joseph Laguerre Jr., known as A.J., 29, who worked at the store; and Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, 19. Ms Carr, an Uber driver, had dropped off a friend at the store just before she was killed.

Police said the gunman tried to enter a historically Black college moments before he came to the discount store and started shooting black people in the store. Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, called the gunman a “hateful lunatic” and said, “we will not allow black campuses to be targeted”.

But Mr DeSantis, a Republican, was booed at a vigil honouring the victims when he spoke about how his office was seeking funds for security at black campuses.

Gov. DeSantis signed a bill earlier this year that eliminates licensing requirements for Florida residents to carry a concealed firearm in most public places.

Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon lambasted DeSantis on MSNBC, suggesting he was insincere in his concern about racism-motivated violence.

Human rights activists have long opposed easy access to guns. In interviews to various media outlets, some of them pointed out that the shooter was able to buy a Glock pistol, an AR-15 style rifle and tactical vest even though he was previously committed to a mental health facility for displaying violent tendencies.

Palmeter came to the discount store, with his weapons and concealing his face under a mask. Sheriff Waters said Palmeter purchased the weapons in April and June, and because he was released after his mental health examination, it would not have appeared on his background check.

In an earlier statement, the sheriff, had acknowledged that the shooter “hated Black people” and left behind “several manifestos” detailing such hatred. “He was just completely irrational. But with irrational thoughts, he knew what he was doing. He was 100% lucid,” the sheriff said on Monday.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2023