Three afro-descendant individuals killed in shooting in Florida; authorities see case of racial hatred

A white man motivated by racial “hatred” fatally shot three Afro-descendant individuals in Jacksonville, Florida, before committing suicide, authorities reported.

The shooter, around 20 years old, began firing in a discount store armed with an AR-type rifle and a handgun, according to Sheriff TK Waters.

“His target was a specific group of people, Black individuals. That’s what he said he wanted to kill. And that is very clear,” Waters stated, adding that the victims were two men and one woman. The attacker had written manifestos that displayed “disgusting ideologies of hatred,” explained Waters during a press conference.

The federal police (FBI) will open an investigation into the attack as a hate crime, according to Special Agent Sherri Onks from the FBI’s Jacksonville office.

Saturday’s shooting is the latest in a wave of firearm attacks this weekend in the United States, following similar incidents in Boston, Chicago, and Oklahoma.

TYT Newsroom