JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — August 26th will mark one year since the deadly racially motivated mass shooting at a Jacksonville Dollar General that claimed three innocent lives.
We’re now getting our first full look at how the scene unfolded through the lens of police body cam footage.
READ: Changes made to Jacksonville Dollar General following racially motivated mass shooting
“It’s locked,” an officer can be heard saying as law enforcement attempted to open a backroom door in the building.
Moments later a gunshot rang out.
“We’ve got a shooter in the store,” another officer called out.
The newly released footage shows officers immediately turning their attention to the three victims, attempting to pull them to safety.
Tragically, all three would lose their lives that day.
Not long after officers discovered the body of the shooter in a backroom, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“Alright, I got him right here. He looks seven,” one officer says upon looking into the room.
Outside, other officers attempted to calm emotions.
“There’s an active shooter that’s not in custody. That’s all we know,” an officer told a man near the scene.
“Let me go in,” the man replied.
“Absolutely not,” the officer rebutted.
Other officers had to break the tragic news.
“There is no way I’m going to get in there at all?” a woman near the scene asked an officer.
“No. I’ll put it this way, it’s at your work,” the officer replied.
Late into the night, officers continued offering emotional support and comfort to neighbors struggling to comprehend the tragedy.
“I’ve had some very unique experiences with this job that I’ve definitely gone through trauma. I see how you’re processing it, and I’ve been there,” an officer told a woman.
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“I appreciate you,” the woman replied.
“We’ve learned a lot of lessons from there. When I watch that body cam video, it still sinks pretty heavy on my heart,” said Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters.
Waters told Action News Jax he looks back on the day of the racially motivated shooting with a heavy heart for the victims’ families.
“I know the families are not going to get over it. There’s really no such thing as closure with those kinds of losses. There’s nothing but memories,” said Waters.
At the same time, Waters commended officers for their heroic decision to put their lives on the line to confront the active shooter.
“You know, you see an officer go in wearing bicycle shorts with a helmet on. The guys that you see going in weren’t SWAT team members, they were K9 officers,” said Waters. “And we are prepared in any situation to once we arrive, go in and go in immediately. So, I’m very pleased about that kind of stuff.”
With the one-year mark just around the corner, Sheriff Waters said he believes the racially motivated shooting brought Jacksonville closer together as a city, despite the shooter’s attempt to rip the community apart.
“I think we are in a better place as a city and that person didn’t represent Jacksonville,” said Waters.
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