A 52-year-old woman who was born and raised in Key West was one of three Black people fatally shot Saturday at a Dollar General Store in Jacksonville, Florida, by a white man on a racist rampage, according to a family member.
Angela Michelle Carr was the first victim murdered at 1:08 p.m. Saturday by the shooter, who was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K Waters said in a press conference Sunday.
Kawana Staffney-Ashe, of Key West, said Carr was her cousin, and that she learned of the murder from her family members before authorities released the victims’ names.
“She never bothered anybody,” Staffney-Ashe said. “She didn’t deserve this, just because of the color of her skin.”
Carr, known as Angie to her family and friends, had left Key West years ago. Staffney-Ashe said she hasn’t seen her since the early 1990s.
Carr was shot while parked in her car outside the store. Then the killer entered the store and murdered Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr., 19, and Jerrald Gallion, 29.
“We continue to pray for the loved ones of those who were lost through this maniac’s acts of senseless violence,” Sheriff Waters said during a press conference Sunday.
The sheriff’s office believes the shooter, 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter, killed himself at the store after taking the three lives.
— Mandy Miles contributed to this report.
