ISTANBUL
Just a few days ago, a white man gunned down three Black Americans in a racially motivated attack in Jacksonville, Florida, the latest in a seemingly endless series of mass shootings in the US.
A young dad, a compassionate mother, and a teenage cashier fell victim to the mass shooting this time at a Dollar General store.
The incident is currently under federal investigation as a hate crime – a grim reminder of the never-ending trauma people of color go through every day in the US.
Police said the violent actions of the perpetrator, 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter, appeared senseless, but it was evident that he harbored a strong hatred toward Black people.
In the wake of this tragedy, the victims have left behind devastated family members and friends who are overwhelmed by sorrow, appalled by the violence, and deeply affected by the most recent instance of racial violence in the US.
Angela Michelle Carr, 52, was an Uber driver who dropped off a passenger at the store when the gunman shot her dead in the car.
She left behind three children.
‘My mother was shot 11 times’
Speaking to Anadolu through Zoom, her son, Vaughn Blanco, a 30-year-old construction worker, said he was in Virginia when his mother was killed.
"I got a call from my little sister saying a guy is walking around her neighborhood with a gun.
"Well, you need to go in the house, I said. She was walking home, and she said she heard gunshots and she didn’t even know it was her mother,” he said.
"I got calls from multiple sources saying they were trying to reach my mother, but no one was getting in touch with her."
After six hours, Blanco received a call from a detective, saying that his mother had been shot 11 times and was dead.
"I talked to my mom daily. There was not one day my mom wouldn't call, and that morning was kind of weird because even if she's mad at me, she's going to call no matter what. I'm just calling to check on you."
"I kept feeling like she's going to call, she's going to call me,” he recounted the tragic moments in a soulful voice.
Carr was a caring and energetic woman, according to her son.
"She cared for all her kids. She cared for their friends. We grew up without a father, so she was like our mother and our father.”
'He would have been stopped if he was Black'
Since July 1, Floridians have been able to carry concealed guns without a permit under a bill signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, and the Republican-controlled state government hailed the controversial bill as a triumph for Second Amendment supporters in the country.
Blanco said he was angry because the law was just passed before his mother was attacked.
"Before the law passed, we had a conversation about it, and I was telling her that I don't believe it's for us.
"You don’t have to have a license in Florida to walk around with your firearm. You can just walk around carrying your firearm. I felt like that law was not for us, for minorities," he said.
The shooter, Palmeter, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, purchased his guns legally and had no criminal history.
He left behind multiple notes addressed to the media, his parents, and law enforcement in which he said he hated Black people and declared his intention to end his life.
"We as a whole community need to come together and stop this. This is ridiculous. I work with white people and I work with people having multiple races. I show them all the same respect that I will show my brothers and sisters.
"If it was me and I go out there and I just start shooting random white people, I wouldn't even be able to get the first bullet off. I would be in jail," Blanco said.
He said the shooter was able to walk around a whole neighborhood and the police did nothing.
"It's not fair. It's not fair. I can't walk down the street with a firearm, but it's okay for him to walk down the street with a firearm with no problems."
He would have been stopped if he was Black, Blanco stressed.
‘No-go for people with darker skin’
In 2017, Palmeter was placed in state custody under Florida's Baker Act, a law that permits individuals to be transported to a receiving facility for a mandatory evaluation lasting up to 72 hours when they are deemed a danger to themselves or other people during a mental health emergency.
"If they ever have been Baker Acted or been to a mental health facility, you need to give them a background check. Also, they should not be allowed to get a firearm at all," said Blanco.
"You wouldn't allow anyone with a darker skin color to walk down the street and do that."
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 470 mass shootings across the US so far this year.
Mass shootings are defined as situations where four or more people are either injured or killed.
There have been over 600 mass shootings annually over the past three years, averaging nearly two such incidents per day.
