Loving mother. Devoted father 'taken away from us forever: Families mourn Jacksonville shooting victims
Hundreds of people gathered Sunday to remember and mourn the loss of three Black people who were fatally shot in what authorities say was a racist attack in Jacksonville, Florida.
Authorities say the suspect, a 21-year-old white man who wore a tactical vest while carrying an "AR-style" rifle and a handgun bearing a swastika, opened fire at a Dollar General store in the predominantly Black neighborhood of New Town on Saturday, killing two men and a woman. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters identified the victims as Angela Michelle Carr, 52; A.J. Laguerre, 19; and Jerrald Gallion, 29.
“This is a community that has suffered again and again. So many times this is where we end up,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said Saturday. “This is something that should not and must not continue to happen in our community.”
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Sunday that it is investigating the shooting as a hate crime.
Here's what we know so far about the shooting victims:
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Jarrald De'Shawn Gallion, 29
Jarrald De'Shawn Gallion, a customer, was shot as he entered the store. During the Sunday evening prayer vigil, family and community members remembered Gallion as a devoted father who had planned to spend the weekend with his 4-year-old daughter.
Gallion's family recalled his sense of humor and work ethic, and that he viewed his job as a restaurant manager as a way to provide for her.
"My brother shouldn’t have lost his life," his sister, Latiffany Gallion, said Sunday. "A simple day of going to the store, and he’s taken away from us forever."
Sabrina Rozier, the child’s maternal grandmother, said Gallion "never missed a beat" and that he was supposed to see his daughter on Saturday.
Bishop John Guns said Gallion attended St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville.
"In two weeks I have to preach a funeral of a man who should still be alive," Guns told the crowd. "He was not a gangster, he was not a thug — he was a father who gave his life to Jesus and was trying to get it together.
"I wept in church today like a baby because my heart is tired. We are exhausted," he added.
Angela Michelle Carr, 52
Angela Michelle Carr was someone who would invite people to cookouts and other family events, said her son, Chayvaughn Payne, The New York Times reported. Carr, an Uber driver, dropped off a friend at the store moments before she was killed.
"She would give her shirt off her back for people," said Payne, according to the Times. "This is really hard to process. To lose a mother for nothing."
Anolt Joseph "A.J." Laguerre Jr., 19
Anolt Joseph "A.J." Laguerre Jr., a store employee, was shot as he tried to flee.
Contributing: Charles Ventura, USA TODAY; Gary T. Mills, The Florida Times-Union; The Associated Press