JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Justice Department announced Sunday that it is investigating a mass shooting at the Dollar General in New Town as a hate crime.
Saturday, three victims who were black were murdered. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters says the alleged shooter left three manifestos where he wrote about his hatred for black people.
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U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland released the following statement.
“Yesterday in Jacksonville, Florida, three people were killed in a horrific act of hate. In the wake of the mass shooting, FBI and ATF agents responded to the scene and are continuing to work closely with local law enforcement on the ground. The Justice Department is investigating this attack as a hate crime and an act of racially-motivated violent extremism. The entire Justice Department extends its deepest condolences to the loved ones of the victims and to the Jacksonville community as they mourn an unimaginable loss.
No person in this country should have to live in fear of hate-fueled violence and no family should have to grieve the loss of a loved one to bigotry and hate. One of the Justice Department’s first priorities upon its founding in 1870 was to bring to justice white supremacists who used violence to terrorize Black Americans. That remains our urgent charge today. The Justice Department will never stop working to protect everyone in our country from unlawful acts of hate.”