Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was met with a smattering of boos on Sunday as he spoke at a prayer vigil the day after three black individuals were killed in an apparent racially-motivated attack.
Mr. DeSantis, who is running in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, stepped up to the podium amid a mix of clapping and booing. The Republican Florida governor began addressing the crowd about efforts he would take to boost security at the historically black Edward Waters College, but the booing persisted.
“Councilwoman, I got you. Don’t worry about it,” Mr. DeSantis said, addressing Democrat Jacksonville Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman. “We’ve already been looking to identify funds to be able to help, one, make sure there’s adequate security for Edward Waters College. We are not going to allow these institutions to be targeted by people.”
Ms. Pittman then interrupted the governor in order to address the crowd and ask for the booing to stop.
“We’re finna put parties aside because it ain’t about parties today,” the Democratic councilwoman said, in defense of the Republican governor. “A bullet don’t know a party. So, don’t get me started ... now y‘all, y’all just be quiet a minute and let the governor say what he going to say and we going to get this party started. You hear me?”
DeSantis Condemns Racist Violence
The shooting suspect, identified as 21-year-old Ryan Palmeter, had reportedly approached the Edward Waters University in Jacksonville prior to the shooting attack. The university went into lockdown and a security guard reportedly approached a suspect and asked him to leave, prompting him to return to his car. Shortly after the encounter at the university, the shooting suspect arrived at a Dollar General less than a mile down the road and began shooting at the customers in the store.
At 1:53 p.m., the suspect’s parents called the Clay County sheriff’s office after the suspect’s father received a text message from his son at 1:18 p.m., alerting him to a manifesto. The father’s call prompted a police response, but by then it was already too late.
According to Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, the suspect had released multiple manifestos that indicated his decision to carry out the attack was racially motivated. Mr. Waters said the shooter “hated black people” though he did not appear to be affiliated with any larger group. The three victims—19-year-old Anolt Joseph Laguerre Jr., 29-year-old Jerrald Gallion, and 52-year-old Angela Michelle Carr—were all black.
“The fact of the matter is, you know, you had a major league scumbag come from Clay County up here and what he did is totally unacceptable in the state of Florida,” Mr. DeSantis said at the prayer vigil on Sunday. “We are not going to let people be targeted based on their race. We are going to stand up and we are going to do what we need to do to make sure that evil does not triumph in the state of Florida.”
The shooting suspect in the Saturday Jacksonville attack had reportedly used an AR-15-style rifle and a Glock handgun in the attack. The rifle had Nazi (National Socialist German Workers’ Party) swastikas painted on it.
The FBI has said it is opening a federal civil rights investigation to investigate the Saturday attack in Jacksonville as a hate crime.
