The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released short excerpts of surveillance video that authorities say captured parts of the mass shooting rampage by 21-year-old Ryan Palmeter.
Palmeter, who had no criminal history, is seen in the videos armed and wearing a tactical vest. He approaches a car in the parking lot and points the weapon at it. He is then seen walking into the Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, on August 26, 2023. You can watch the video below but be aware that the scenes are disturbing, although they do not contain graphic photos or imagery.
A separate TikTok video captured the shooter donning the bulletproof vest behind the library of Edward Waters University, Sheriff T.K. Waters said in the news conference. Palmeter shot and killed three people, all Black, at the Dollar General a short time later, Waters said. The victims were targeted because of their race, said Waters, who said the shooter left behind a racist manifesto that was the “diary of a madman.”
The victims were named as Angela Michelle Carr, 52; Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr., 19; and Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, 29.
“Plainly put, this shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people,” the sheriff said in an earlier news conference.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Surveillance Video Shows Ryan Palmeter Pointing at a Car & Then Walking Into the Dollar General, Heavily Armed, the Sheriff Says
The surveillance video can be seen above and also in this video of the news conference, where it starts just after six minutes into the video.
The sheriff described in the August 27, 2023, news conference how Palmeter, who shot and killed himself at the Dollar General as police closed in, went back and forth between the parking lot, a rear door, and the Dollar General store.
He said that Palmeter fired 11 times at a car in the parking lot. He shot two men and one woman, including a man who walked inside with his girlfriend, the sheriff said. According to Waters, Palmeter also chased a woman inside the store and fired at her, but missed.
SheriffRyan Palmeter gun
The sheriff said Palmeter had purchased the weapons, a handgun and AR-15 style rifle legally. He said the shooter paused during the carnage to text his father in Orange Park and tell him to enter his room with a screwdriver. Inside the father found a last will and testament and suicide note, according to Waters.
A TikTok Video Shows Ryan Palmeter Donning a Tactical Vest at a Local College While Campus Security Pulls In
SheriffRyan Christopher Palmeter.
A video shared on X appears to show the suspect on the college campus. The sheriff confirmed its existence.
Waters said Palmeter also left behind three manifestos, which authorities have not yet released. One was addressed to the media, one to his parents, and one to federal agents, according to the sheriff. He festooned his rifle with Nazi swastikas, according to photos released by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department. According to the sheriff, the suspect was motivated by racist ideology against Blacks.
Sheriff/Twitter (Ryan Palmeter)Ryan Palmeter
The sheriff confirmed that campus security spotted Palmeter, who then drove off toward the Dollar General. He said campus security alerted a Jacksonville police officer who was putting out a BOLO alert for him when gunfire rang out.
According to the sheriff, Palmeter had an opportunity to commit violence on the campus but did not.
SheriffA photo of Ryan Palmeter’s gun
Palmeter was a registered Republican per Florida voting records; his mother is a registered Democrat, according to the same records, and his father expressed anti-Republican views on a now-deleted page on X.
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