Families sued over racist shooting incident. In the aftermath of the racially-motivated shooting that shocked Jacksonville, Florida, a wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the families of three Black victims against Dollar General and the parents of the alleged shooter, Ryan Christopher Palmeter. The retail behemoth and Palmeter’s parents are accused of incompetence in the August tragedy.
Dollar General is being sued in Florida for failing to protect customers and employees. On behalf of the victims’ relatives, civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump said the lawsuit will “speak truth to power.” Crump accused Dollar General of putting “profits over people” by not having enough security during the shooting.
Families sued over racist shooting incident. “If Dollar General just simply had somebody there to be security just as Family Dollar did, just as Edward Waters did, I wouldn’t be up here speaking about AJ.” – Q’uantavius Laguerre, brother of victim AJ Laguerre.
“The presence of a security guard would have made all the difference in the world,” Crump stated during a news conference, highlighting the critical role security measures play in preventing such incidents.
The 91-page lawsuit names Dollar General, its subsidiaries, the contracted security company, and Palmeter’s parents, Maryann and Stephen Palmeter, as defendants. The lawsuit claims Dollar General lacked protection despite being in a high-crime area.
In an 11-minute killing spree at Dollar General on Kings Road, Ryan Palmeter used a Glock handgun and a swastika-marked AR-15. The victims—Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, Angela Michelle Carr, and Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr.—tragically lost their lives in the racially motivated attack.
The lawsuit contends that Dollar General was warned about numerous criminal acts in the area, creating an obligation for the store to take necessary precautions. The absence of proper security measures is described as creating conditions that attract criminal activity, making the store “an attractive location for criminal activity.”
The legal action extends its accusations to Palmeter’s parents, alleging negligence on their part for failing to protect the public from their son. The lawsuit claims that the parents were aware of Ryan Palmeter’s mental health issues, his obsession with firearms, and his potential threat to himself and others. Despite this knowledge, the parents allegedly allowed him to retain firearms, contributing to the tragic outcome.
The lawsuit includes disturbing images of Palmeter’s room, depicting prescription drugs, bottles of alcohol, and books on guns, providing a visual narrative of the alleged dangerous environment that Palmeter’s parents were aware of.
The lawsuit, representing the grieving families, seeks justice and accountability for the lives lost, aiming to prompt changes in Dollar General’s security practices.
