Some New Town residents think Dollar General shouldn’t reopen

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — A Dollar General in the New Town area, where a racially motivated mass shooting happened in late August that left three people dead, will re-open on Friday.

Many residents tell Action News Jax they would rather have an actual grocery store come to this area because walking into this Dollar General brings back bad memories.

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The three innocent lives that were taken in late August were Angela Carr, AJ Laguerre Jr., and Jerald Gallion. They were gunned down by 21-year-old Ryan Palmeter.

Adrain Wells tells me he doesn’t want to go back inside of that store.

“I just can’t see myself shopping here, it would be pretty eerie,” said Wells.

Wells has lived in this community all his life and has seen how they don’t have a physical grocery store on Kings Road where the shooting happened, and he says that should change.

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“To honor the families and the victims of this community. I think they should go with Winn-Dixie to bring a real grocery store to the area,” said Wells.

Sammie Galton, who also lives in this community says he was in this same dollar general just 20 minutes before the shooting happened.

“It scared me. I said man I could’ve been one of them. I still get goosebumps,” said Galton.

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Galton, who doesn’t have any form of transportation, believes this area needs something for people to buy groceries, but says this Dollar General shouldn’t re-open.

“As far as convenience, we need it around this neighborhood, I really don’t think they should open,” said Galton.

Doors for this Dollar General are expected to open January 12, at 9 a.m.

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