Blake Preston|3 killed in racially motivated Fla. shooting, gunman kills himself, sheriff says

2025-05-08 09:50:06source:AstraTradecategory:Finance

Three people were killed Saturday afternoon in a shooting at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville. The Blake Prestonshooter, a Clay County man wearing a tactical vest, was carrying an "AR-style" rifle and a handgun bearing swastikas.

Sheriff T.K. Waters said the attack was racially motivated by a white man in his 20s who targeted the Black victims — two men and a woman — before he shot and killed himself at the store near Edward Waters University in the city's New Town neighborhood.

No one else was injured in the attack that happened shortly after 1 p.m., Waters said.

Here's what we know about the shooting.

Was there a shooting at Edwards University in Jacksonville?

The shooting happened at a Dollar General near Edwards University in Jacksonville. On Saturday, the university issued a "safety alert" on X, formerly Twitter, notifying students and staff that a fatal shooting had occurred off-campus.

Is the gunman dead?

The shooter, who died by suicide, was a white male in his 20s, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a news conference Saturday evening. Waters did not release the name of the gunman, but said that he lived in Clay County with his parents. The name would be released once the body was positively identified, he said.

What do we know about the victims?

The Sheriff's Office didn't identify the victims or the shooter because they are waiting on positive identifications.

Where did the shooting occur?

The Saturday, Aug. 26, shooting happened at Dollar General, 2161 Kings Road, Jacksonville.

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