(Reuters) – According to police, a white man shot and killed three African Americans at a Dollar General Store in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday due to his hatred of Black people. The shooter left behind several statements detailing his motives. This incident is another example of a mass shooting that appears to have targeted victims based on their race, religion, or sexual orientation.
Here is a list of some others:
PULSE NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING, 2016, ORLANDO, 49 DEAD
A gunman attacked Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in 2016, killing 49 people and injuring 53 others. After a three-hour standoff with the police, the gunman was shot and killed. This shooting became the deadliest act of violence against LGBTQ people in the United States, surpassing an arson attack in 1973 that claimed 32 lives. While the shooter claimed allegiance to the Islamic State, the specific motivations for targeting Pulse remain unclear.
TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING, 2018, PITTSBURGH, 11 DEAD
In October 2018, a 46-year-old truck driver attacked the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh during a service, resulting in the death of 11 individuals and the injury of six others. Prior to the shooting, the assailant expressed his antisemitic feelings on social media. He was wounded and apprehended by the police and later found guilty of federal hate-related charges. Recently, he received a death sentence, although he still faces murder charges in state court.
TOPS SUPERMARKET SHOOTING, 2022, BUFFALO, 10 DEAD
In May 2022, an 18-year-old man killed 10 Black people at a Tops Friendly Markets grocery store in Buffalo, New York. The shooter had written a 180-page manifesto advocating racial purity before traveling over 240 miles to Buffalo, targeting Black individuals. Following a trial, he was sentenced to 11 life terms plus 90 years on various charges, including murder and domestic terrorism. Furthermore, he may face the death penalty on federal hate-crime charges.
MOTHER EMANUEL CHURCH SHOOTING, 2015, CHARLESTON, NINE DEAD
In May 2015, a 21-year-old self-proclaimed white supremacist and neo-Nazi attacked the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, during a Bible study class, killing nine Black people. He left behind a manifesto and claimed his intention was to ignite a race war. He was sentenced to death in federal court and received nine consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole in state court.
DAY SPA SHOOTINGS, ATLANTA, 2021, EIGHT DEAD
In the Atlanta area in 2021, a 21-year-old gunman was charged with killing eight people, including six women of Asian descent, at three day spas. He confessed to four homicides in one spa in a county outside Atlanta, stating he was a sex addict and denying racial motivation. Currently, he awaits trial for four other murder counts in Atlanta, where he could face the death penalty if convicted. Prosecutors in Georgia plan to designate the case as a hate crime based on race or gender.
(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
