A white man in his 20s, has shot dead three Black people, in a racially motivated attack in Jacksonville, Florida, before taking his own life, the city’s sheriff said.
The shooter who was yet to be identified, entered a Dollar General store wearing a tactical vest, carrying an AR-style rifle and handgun and opened fire, triggering a standoff with police, ABC report.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters told a news conference that the attack left two men and one woman dead.
“He hated Black people,” Waters said after reviewing the man’s writings, which were sent to federal law enforcement officials and at least one media outlet shortly before the attack.
He added that the gunman acted alone and “there is absolutely no evidence the shooter is part of any larger group.”
The incident took place near Edward Waters University, a historically Black college in the southern US state.
The FBI has opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting, which it is treating as a hate crime.
