JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) 鈥� A.J. Laguerre worked at a Dollar General store after finishing high school to help support the grandmother who raised him. Angela Michelle Carr was an Uber driver and beloved mother. Jerrald Gallion relished weekends with his 4-year-old daughter.
All three were slain Saturday when a gunman with swastikas painted on his rifle at the Dollar General where Laguerre worked The sheriff said writings left by the killer, a 21-year-old white man, made clear that he was motivated by racism. Each victim was Black.
鈥淚 never thought I鈥檇 have to bury my baby brother,鈥� Quan Laguerre said Monday outside the family鈥檚 house not far from the store.
鈥淭hey say don鈥檛 question God,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I just want to know why.鈥�
A.J. Laguerre, 19, was the youngest of five siblings, all raised by their grandmother after their mother died in 2009, his brother said. The family celebrated in 2022 when A.J., like his older siblings before him, graduated from high school. As he looked into going to college to study cybersecurity, he got a job at the Dollar General store several months ago to help their grandmother pay the bills.
When he was off the clock, A.J. played Fortnite and other videogames on the live-streaming platform Twitch, his brother said, using the gamer tag galaxysoul. His goal was to build a large online following.
鈥淗e had dreams and aspirations of being a professional streamer,鈥� Quan Laguerre said. 鈥淪o after he would get off work, he鈥檇 just stay up until 3 or 4 in the morning just grinding, you know, trying to get that stance and have followers.鈥�
A.J. Laguerre was shot inside the store while trying to flee the gunman, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters told reporters.
Carr, 52, was killed in the parking lot when the shooter fired bullets into her car.
鈥淢y mother, she was a good woman,鈥� son Chayvaughn Payne said in a brief phone interview Monday.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Carr family, said at a news conference later Monday that Carr had just dropped off a customer and was waiting for the person to get back in the car.
Carr joined St. Stephen African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jacksonville when she was 3 and still attended services there. The pastor said the church community has rallied behind her family.
鈥淪he was just a loving, caring mother," the Rev. David Green said.
Gallion, 29, was shot while entering the store's front door with his girlfriend, who escaped.
鈥淢y brother shouldn鈥檛 have lost his life,鈥� his sister, Latiffany Gallion, said. 鈥淎 simple day of going to the store, and he鈥檚 taken away from us forever.鈥�
Relatives recalled Gallion鈥檚 sense of humor and work ethic. He worked two to three jobs, including as a restaurant manager, to provide for his daughter, Je Asia Gallion.
Je Asia鈥檚 fifth birthday is approaching, and the family had planned a big party, said Sabrina Rozier, the child鈥檚 maternal grandmother. Gallion was looking forward to a father-daughter dance in February.
鈥淗e was so excited about it, talking about the colors they would wear,鈥� Rozier said as Je Asia played with the microphones during Monday's news conference. 鈥淣ow she鈥檚 asking, 鈥榃ho shot my daddy?鈥欌��
Although Gallion's relationship with the child鈥檚 mother didn鈥檛 last, they worked together to raise Je Asia. That earned him lasting affection from Rozier.
鈥淗e never missed a beat,鈥� Rozier said. 鈥淗e got her every weekend. As a matter of fact, he was supposed to have her (Saturday).鈥�
Gallion to pick up his daughter. Now the pastor of the church he attended is preparing to bury him.
鈥淚n two weeks I have to preach a funeral of a man who should still be alive,鈥� the Rev. John Guns, of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, said during the vigil. 鈥淗e was not a gangster, he was not a thug 鈥� he was a father who gave his life to Jesus and was trying to get it together."
Russ Bynum, The Associated Press
