JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Monday marked one year since the tragic racist mass shooting at a Jacksonville Dollar General that claimed the lives of three people.
Action News Jax spoke with the son of one of those victims on the day of remembrance.
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One year later, the wounds were still fresh, and accountability was still being sought.
Memorials to the victims still stand outside of the Dollar General, serving as a somber reminder of that tragic day.
Chayvaughn Payne still remembers his favorite aspects of his mother, Angela Carr, who was killed in the shooting. Jerrald Gallion and “AJ” Laguerre, Jr. also died that day.
“Her voice. Her smile,” Payne said.
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The passage of time has done little to bring closure to Carr’s son.
“I’m slowly coping with it, but it’s hard. You know what I’m saying? Like, I don’t feel anger no more, I just feel loss,” Payne said.
A new lawsuit filed on behalf of his mother’s estate asserts the shooter’s parents bear responsibility for Carr’s wrongful death.
Attorney John Phillips argued years of troubling behavior, drug use, violent and hate-filled social media posts, and mental health issues were either missed or willfully ignored by the shooter’s parents.
“Parents need to know that if you’re letting a serial killer live and breathe and drink and do drugs and just let them go unfettered in your own home, you’re going to be held responsible too,” Phillips said.
For Payne, he argued the suit isn’t about the money, as no amount could make up for his loss.
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Instead, he said he wants to use it to learn more about how red flags were missed.
He hopes those insights could serve as a lesson to other parents, friends, and family members of troubled young men.
Payne believes it could help stop another tragedy, like the one that took the life of his mother, from ever happening again.
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“We just gotta be better. As a city, as a country, as people ourselves we need to be better,” said Payne.
A separate lawsuit is also pending in state court making claims against Dollar General.
The store was shuttered Monday, out of respect to the victims.
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