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Nearly five months after the August 26 shooting, memorials dedicated to victims Gerald Gallion, Anault “AJ” Laguerre Jr. and Angela Carr remain outside the New Town Dollar General store in Jacksonville, still made up of photographs, flowers and stuffed animals. Are decorated.
At the store’s entrance, the company installed a permanent plaque that reads “#JacksonvilleStrong,” Florida Times-Union informed of,
Julie Martin, Dollar General Divisional, “It was important to take the time needed to listen to and evaluate feedback from employees and the community, which informed not only the store upgrades but our efforts to reopen the stores in a respectful and thoughtful manner.” Also informed about the efforts. The vice president of store operations told a Jacksonville television station wjxt Thursday during a tour of the store.
The store was given a facelift, which was the result of consultation with community members and local officials. The store now offers customers a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, pre-prepared salads, frozen vegetables, cold cuts and milk.
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Adam Finkel, a South Florida attorney who represents the victims’ estate and some family members, said the reopening has spared the victims’ families from “going through their own personal emotional pain.” he filed a trial against the company late last year over lax security at the store.
“This was the site of a terrible mass shooting that should never have happened,” Finkel told The Associated Press.
“If the store was going to stay open, and a lot of families and people in the community don’t want it to reopen, it should at least reopen safely,” Finkel said.
He said that the lack of security at the store was a factor behind the tragedy, and he questions whether newly opened stores would have proper safety measures in place. The lawsuit, filed in December, cites shootings, assaults, thefts, robberies and drug dealing in the store’s vicinity.
The AP inquired about safety measures at the newly opened store, but it did not specify News release Dollar General responded. The company noted that it had provided $2.5 million to several charities and agencies in the Jacksonville area since the shooting.
On August 26, 21-year-old Ryan Palmer shot Carr while she sat in her vehicle outside the store. He then went inside and shot Gallien and Laguerre Jr.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said that during the attack, Palmer texted his father and asked him to break into his room and check his computer. There, the father found a suicide note, a will and racist writings from his son. The family informed the authorities, but by then the shooting had already started. Authorities say letters to his family, federal law enforcement and at least one media outlet made it clear he hated black people.
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