JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A new memorial now honors the lives of Angela Carr, Jerrald Gallion and A.J. Laguerre Jr., one year after the three were killed in a racially-motivated attack at a Dollar General in Jacksonville.
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Local leaders unveiled the new historic marker Sunday as speakers paid tribute to the three who were killed and recognized the bravery of a survivor.
“The tragedy that happened is unacceptable, and we should never accept the violence, the hurt, the tragedy, the trauma, which we all have all felt,” said City Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman, who represents the district where the Dollar General is located on Kings Road in Jacksonville’s Grand Park neighborhood.
Three makeshift memorials still stand adjacent to the road in front of the store, paying tribute to the three victims of the racist attack.
But on Sunday, the city unveiled a memorial marker at the newly named Kings Road Memorial Park. The top of that marker displays the date of the shooting along with the words “Lives Lost.”
Below that is a description of what happened that day when a 21-year-old gunman from Clay County walked into the Dollar General and opened fire, killing Carr, Laguerre and Gallion before turning the gun on himself.
Sheriff T.K. Waters said writings the gunman left behind made it clear the attack was racially motivated.
“We stand here in unity, because that’s what it’s going to take for us to move forward,” said Kim Allen, CEO of 904ward, a local nonprofit that works to create racial healing through conversations, building relationships, and advocacy.
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During the unveiling on Sunday, 904ward also hosted a soil collection, a ceremony typically performed at the sites of unjust killings, like lynchings.
Two jars were filled for each victim. One jar will be presented to the families of the victims, while another will head to the Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama.
Watch the full ceremony below:
Life has gone on, but the memory of what happened nearly one year ago is still felt by many in the community.
“This is always a hard situation for any community, and for it to hit at home is just unbelievable,” Deborah Riley-Harris said. “It’s hurtful, and we’re just trying to find a way to go on and prevent this from happening.”
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Pittman said she thinks about last year’s racist shooting every day.
“It was just so emotional that day,” Pittman said. “And every time I talk about it in depth, I still get emotional.”
Thinking back on that tragic day, Pittman remembers the grief, but also unity.
“When I got there, and a couple of my colleagues, we were there together,” Pittman recalled. “The sheriff was there, the mayor was there. And I can tell you, I’ve never seen anything like that before. All we could do was pray.”
Deegan, who took office less than two months before the shooting, went to the scene as the first reports started coming in.
“There was an 11-year-old boy who was devastated in that family. And when I first walked into the door to pay my respects before the funerals, he ran up to me and put his arms around me and cried. And I just thought, you know, it’s so upsetting that children of that age in our city have to cope with so much and be affected by things like that. And I think that has never left me,” Deegan told News4JAX.
For Pittman, the most important promise is to never forget the three people who died that day.
“There will be a day that we will be able to shine a light on those families that’s deserving as well as those survivors,” Pittman said. “I hope we don’t ever have to go through anything like this again.”
As people in the community grieved their neighbors on Monday, the mayor said creating a better future is key.
That’s why the Jacksonville Transformation Coalition was formed, made up of people from all backgrounds. The goal is to make Jacksonville a better place for everyone.
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Deegan said the community will hear more about it in the coming months. Until then, she hopes to send a powerful message.
“First of all, let them know that when it happens to you, it happens to us,” Deegan said. “And that should be true of any place in the city that it happens. But these communities that have so often been affected by these violent situations, I think that’s incredibly important. But, from my perspective as a mayor, I think to continue to focus on things that we can do as a community to be better.”
