JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As preparations are underway for the reopening of the Dollar General where three people were killed in August, a nearby resident is giving a new perspective on the brutal attack and how the community is faring now.
AJ Laguerre Junior,19, Angela Carr, 52, and Jerrald Gallion, 29, were shot and killed at the store in the Grand Park area of Northwest Jacksonville on Aug. 26. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.
Joy Shepard Harrington, who lives near the Dollar General, said seeing the store every day reminds her of the shooting.
“That was a horrible day. If you never lived through nothing like that, you don’t want to. With all the gunshots that I’ve heard around here...that day was different,” Harrington said.
Harrington said her husband witnessed the attack.
“He talks about it every day,” Harrington said. “When it became a month, he [said] ‘Joy, it’s a month. Joy, it’s two months.’ Just the other day, he said ‘Joy, it’s three months.’”
She said she wants a permanent memorial to honor the victims and make sure no one forgets what happened there in August.
“...so that 20 years from now, when they grandchildren and children come alone, they noticed somebody that cares about their family members,” Harrington said.
MORE | Man who killed 3 at a Dollar General in Jacksonville used to work at a dollar store, sheriff says
On Thursday, Mayor Donna Deegan told News4JAX reporter Jim Piggott the city is in continuing talks with Dollar General about how they can support the community in the aftermath of the shooting.
When asked about the permanent memorial, Deegan said, “I don’t know anything about that, but I do know that we are continuing conversations with Dollar General about all manner of improvements and things that we can do.”
A spokesperson from Dollar General said, “We are continuing to consider how we might best honor those impacted by the August 26, 2023, tragedy at our Kings Road store and expect to have more details on these efforts as well as store reopening information in early 2024.”
From the outside, the store appears to be nearing the end of its remodel after the violence.
Harrington said she won’t set foot in that Dollar General again.