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3 killed in racially-motivated shooting at Dollar General store in Jacksonville, sheriff says
Three people were killed in a shooting Saturday afternoon at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, that authorities said was racially motivated. The suspect died by suicide.
In a news conference Saturday evening, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said that the suspect, described as White man in his early 20s, entered a Dollar Store just after 1 p.m. and opened fire, killing three people. All the victims were Black, Waters said.
“He targeted a certain group of people, and that’s Black people,” Waters said.
The suspect then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Waters disclosed. His name was not immediately released.
No one else was wounded in the shooting. The victims were also not immediately identified.
The suspect was wearing a tactical vest and mask and was armed with a Glock and an AR-15-style rifle, Waters said. There were also swastikas on the guns, he added.
In the news conference, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan called the shooting a “hate-filled crime.”
The suspect, who lived in Jacksonville’s Clay County with his parents, “authored several manifestos,” Waters said, including one to his parents and another to the media. At 1:18 p.m. local time, the shooter told his father to check his computer, and by 1:53 p.m. the shooter’s family called the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Waters said.
Officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and firefighters with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department were on scene investigating, along with members of the FBI.
The FBI Jacksonville said they will pursue this as a hate crime.
Deegan previously told CBS affiliate WJAX-TV that following the killings, the suspect had barricaded himself inside the store.
“One shooting is too much, but these mass shootings are really hard to take,” Deegan told the station from the scene during the standoff.
Meanwhile, nearby Edwards Waters University said in a campus safety alert that all students were being “kept in their residence halls.” The university said the shooting was not believed to have involved any campus faculty, staff or students.
In a statement provided to CBS News, Dollar General said it was “heartbroken by the senseless act of violence that occurred at our Kings Road store,” adding that “supporting our Jacksonville employees and the DG family impacted by this tragedy is a top priority as we work closely with law enforcement.”
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
CBS News
Hurricane Milton’s impact on South Florida: Squally conditions, tornadoes, flight cancellations
MIAMI – Windy conditions continued in South Florida Wednesday evening as Hurricane Milton, a powerful Category 3 storm, made landfall on Florida’s west coast.
Milton was packing maximum sustained winds of 120 mph as it made landfall in Siesta Key near Sarasota. The storm is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds, flooding, and tornadoes as it moves across the state to the east coast.
South Florida experienced strong winds of 30 to 40 mph Wednesday, which are expected to continue through Thursday.
Milton’s impact on South Florida
Hurricane Milton spun at least two tornadoes in South Florida.
Earlier in the day, a tornado touched down along Alligator Alley in western Broward County near Collier County, though no damage was reported.
Another tornado touched down in the Wellington area of Palm Beach County, causing damage to some homes and bringing down trees.
All of South Florida had been under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. Wednesday. Several tornado warnings had also been issued for Broward County.
In recent days, South Florida has experienced a “one-two punch” of storms. A non-tropical low-pressure system brought heavy rain and flooding on Sunday and Monday, followed by Hurricane Milton’s approach on Wednesday, which was forecast to bring more rain and windy conditions through Thursday as the storm crosses the state.
The region remains under threat of flooding, with an expected rainfall of 4 to 7 inches or more.
Strong winds brought down a power line in Broward County near NE 28th Street in Wilton Manors.
Airports report delays and cancelations
Hurricane Milton continued to affect flights at South Florida airports on Wednesday.
Cancellations and delays were reported at Miami International Airport and at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International.
Nearly 2,000 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled by Wednesday night, according to the tracking service FlightAware. That includes over 380 flights canceled at Tampa International Airport.
When will conditions improve?
CBS News Miami
“By late Thursday, things will begin to wind down,” said CBS News Miami chief meteorologist Ivan Cabrera. “Conditions will improve into Friday, and we’re looking forward to a quiet and tranquil pattern setting up for the weekend and into next week.”
On Friday, there will be a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. It will be cloudy with a 20% chance of rain in the day and 20% at night, according to NWS.
North winds will be around 14 mph with gusts as high as 23 mph during the day, and north winds of 10 to 13 mph with gusts as high as 22 will be seen at night.
CBS News Miami
Highs are expected to be near 86 and lows around 75.
Dangerous storm surge forecast for Florida
Forecasters warned of dangerous storm surge.
“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the south of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves,” the hurricane center said.
“Rainfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches, with localized totals up to 18 inches, are expected across central to northern portions of the Florida Peninsula through Thursday,” the hurricane center said.
“This rainfall brings the risk of considerable flash, urban and areal flooding, along with the potential for moderate to major river flooding.”
Milton will also produce rainfall totals 2 to 4 inches across the Florida Keys through Thursday.
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