Families of Jacksonville Dollar General Shooting Victims Sue for Negligence

Lawsuit Claims Lax Security Measures Led to Fatal Shooting by Racist Gunman

Family members of three Black people fatally shot at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, have sued the store’s landlord, operator, security contractor, the shooter's estate, and his parents for negligence, claiming lax security led to their loved ones’ deaths.
The 21-year-old gunman, Ryan Palmeter, had attempted to enter another store and the campus of a historically Black college, but was stopped by the presence of security guards at both places. He then went to the Dollar General where he committed the fatal assault.
Palmeter left behind racist writings and a suicide note. Investigators have said Palmeter made clear in his writings that he hated Black people.
Palmeter had been involved in a 2016 domestic violence incident that did not lead to an arrest and was involuntarily committed for a 72-hour mental health examination the following year. He used two guns in the shooting, a Glock handgun and an AR-15-style rifle.
The lawsuit argues that better security measures should have been in place by the store operator and landlord before the shooting last August since the area around the store had seen a rash of shootings, assaults, burglaries, robberies and drug dealing.