Families of Jacksonville Shooting Victims Sue Dollar General

Facts

• Family members of three people killed in the Jacksonville Dollar General shooting have filed a lawsuit in Duval County, Florida, against the discount store on the grounds that its negligence in security measures enabled the crimes allegedly committed by 21-year-old Ryan Palmeter in August 2023.¹
• On Aug. 26, Ryan Palmeter drove to the Dollar General, where he killed store employee Anolt Laguerre Jr., customer Jerrald Gallion, and rideshare driver Angela Carr, after reportedly being deterred from attacking a Family Dollar store and Edward Waters University by the presence of security personnel.²
• Benjamin Crump, a civil rights attorney representing members of the victims' families, stated during a news conference on Tuesday that Dollar General has 'blood on [its] hands,' accusing the retailer of putting 'profits over people' by not having a security guard on the premises.³
• The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages — reportedly greater than $50K — from two Dollar General subsidiaries; the firm that owns the property, and the security contractor for the store. The lawsuit also seeks damages from Maryann and Stephen Palmeter, who allegedly failed to take precautions to prevent their son's violence.⁴
• The US Justice Dept. has been investigating the shooting as a hate crime and an act of racially-motivated violent extremism, as Palmeter had a swastika marked on his assault-style rifle and left behind racist writings. He struggled with mental illness, including alcoholism, and took his own life after the shooting.⁵
• Dollar General faced a similar negligence lawsuit five years ago, when a female customer was robbed and shot in the parking lot at the store on Kings Road — allegations were made that there wasn't sufficient lightning to obtain a clear visual of the attacker. The company settled the lawsuit before the case reached trial.⁶

Sources: ¹Forbes, ²People Magazine, ³ABC News, ⁴USA Today, ⁵The Hill and ⁶The Tributary.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by CBS. Dollar General isn't alone in neglecting security measures, as single coverage and a lack of security guards at store entrances seem to be part of the low-cost operations of every dollar store chain, even while they make billion-dollar yearly revenues. With gun violence increasingly affecting such businesses, it's crucial that they put their hands in their pockets and do more to protect workers and customers.
• Right narrative, as provided by FEE. While family members of the Jacksonville victims obviously have the right to seek damages in court from whoever they blame for this shooting, it would be outrageous if the anti-dollar store movement comes to co-opt this tragedy for its own goals. Such stores fill the need for low-income families in underserved neighborhoods, so attempts to change their operations would only come to hurt ordinary Americans. Focus should be redirected towards preventing those with mental health issues obtaining firearms.

Predictions