DeSantis condemns ‘scumbag’ shooter who killed 3 in Jacksonville

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) condemned the gunman who killed three people in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday in what authorities have described as a “racially motivated” shooting.

“This shooting, based on the manifesto they discovered from the scumbag that did this, was racially motivated,” DeSantis said in a video message. “He was targeting people based on their race. That is totally unacceptable.”

The white gunman killed three Black individuals at a Dollar General in Jacksonville on Saturday afternoon, before taking his own life, Sheriff T.K. Waters said. He left behind several manifestos detailing his ideology, the sheriff noted.

“Plainly put, this shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people,” Waters said at a press conference.

“This is a dark day in Jacksonville’s history,” he added. “Any loss of life is tragic, but the hate that motivated the shooter’s killing spree adds an additional layer of heartbreak.”

DeSantis, who is also running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, denounced the shooting as a “cowardly act.”

“This guy killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions,” the Florida governor said. “He took the coward’s way out.” 

“We condemn what happened in the strongest possible terms,” he added. “We’ve offered support for Sheriff Waters and the city of Jacksonville. And we send our condolences to the victims and their families, who were the victims of a very cowardly act.”

Federal authorities have opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting and plan to pursue it as a hate crime, the local branch of the FBI said on Saturday.