A gunman with racial motives killed three individuals of black ethnicity in Jacksonville, Florida, before taking his own life, according to the city's sheriff.

The assailant, identified as a white man in his early 20s, entered a Dollar General store and initiated gunfire, leading to a confrontation with the police.

Sheriff T K Waters reported that the gunman, who wore body armor and left behind manifestos, fatally shot two men and a woman.

Mayor Donna Deegan labeled the incident a "hate-filled crime" driven by racist animosity.

The sheriff revealed that the shooter, whose official identification has not yet been disclosed, possessed a lightweight semi-automatic rifle and a handgun. Believed to have acted alone, the gunman expressed an intent to commit suicide. He resided with his parents in Jacksonville's Clay County and left multiple messages outlining his intentions, including one for his parents and another for the media. Sheriff Waters added that at least one of the weapons bore a swastika symbol.

The shooting unfolded less than a mile from the historically black Edwards Waters University.

Mayor Donna Deegan expressed her sentiments on local TV channel WJXT, stating, "One shooting is too much, but these mass shootings are really hard to take."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis condemned the assailant as a "scumbag" and characterized the incident as "horrific."

"He targeted people based on their race, which is absolutely unacceptable," stated DeSantis, who is vying for the Republican party's presidential nomination.

"This individual chose to end his own life instead of facing the consequences and acknowledging his actions, taking the cowardly way out."

The White House reported that President Joe Biden had received a briefing on the shooting.

Dollar General, in a statement provided to CBS News, a partner of the BBC in the US, expressed its grief over the "senseless act of violence" at its Kings Road store. The statement emphasized the company's commitment to supporting affected employees and cooperating closely with law enforcement.

The Jacksonville incident coincides with the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech. Thousands assembled in the capital on Saturday to commemorate this significant milestone in the civil rights movement. Photo by PicoOrdinalo, Wikimedia commons.