On August 26, 2023, Jerrald De'Shaun Gallion, a 29-year-old man, was one of the three victims killed in a racially motivated shooting at a Dollar General store located on Kings Road in the New Town section of Jacksonville, Florida.
The shooting was carried out by Ryan Christopher Palmeter, who went on an 11-minute killing rampage. Palmeter was armed with a Glock handgun and an AR-15-style weapon marked with a swastika, and he was wearing a tactical vest.
The first victim, 52-year-old Angela Michelle Carr, was killed outside the store when Palmeter shot at her black Kia 11 times. He then entered the store and randomly gunned down the other victims, including 19-year-old Anolt Joseph "AJ" Laguerre Jr., who was a clerk at the store, and Jerrald De'Shaun Gallion.
The Jacksonville County sheriff's office described the shooting as racially motivated, citing writings found on Palmeter's person and at his home that contained hateful and offensive language, including racial slurs. Sheriff T.K. Waters stated that the shooting was driven by Palmeter's hatred of Black people.
Palmeter died by suicide as police responded to the scene. The incident has been condemned as an act of domestic terrorism and has reignited concerns about racial violence and the safety of Black communities. The National Conference of Black Political Scientists and other community leaders have called for structural changes to address the root causes of racial injustice and have criticized policies and rhetoric that perpetuate racial disparities and hate.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the families of the victims filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dollar General, its subsidiaries, the security company it contracted, and Palmeter's parents, Maryann and Stephen Palmeter. The lawsuit alleges that Dollar General failed to provide adequate security at the store, despite it being in a high-crime area, and that Palmeter's parents failed to protect the public from their son's foreseeable criminal acts.
Funeral services for Jerrald De'Shaun Gallion and the other victims were held in the following days, with community leaders and faith groups calling for change and condemning divisive policies and rhetoric that they believe contribute to a hostile climate for Black communities.
