Families Of FL Dollar General Shooting Victims Sue Company: Reports

JACKSONVILLE, FL — The families of three people fatally shot in a racially motivated attack at a North Florida Dollar General store have filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming it failed to do enough to keep employees and customers safe, according to multiple reports.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court on behalf of the families of Angela Carr, Jerrald Gallion, and A.J. Laguerre, who died on Aug. 27 when 21-year-old Ryan Palmeter used a Glock handgun and an AR-15 to fatally shoot them inside the store on Kings Road in Jacksonville.

Palmeter killed himself following the attack and left behind racist writings and a suicide note, authorities said.

The lawsuit was filed against the store's landlord, operator and security contractor.

The suit also names Palmeter's parents as defendants and claims they failed to protect the public from "reasonably foreseeable criminal acts which were likely to be committed by their son," ABC News reported.

Before the shooting, authorities said Palmeter attempted to enter another store and the campus of a historically Black college, but he was stopped by the presence of security guards at both places.

Investigators have said Palmeter made clear in his writings that he hated Black people. During the attack, he texted his father and told him to break into his room and check his computer. There, the father found the note and the writings. The family notified authorities, but by then the shooting had already begun, detectives said.

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. Palmeter used two guns in the shooting, a Glock handgun and an AR-15-style rifle, according to authorities.

An email from The Associated Press seeking comment from Dollar General's corporate offices was not immediately returned.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.