A security guard who works at Edward Waters University, which is a historic black Christian university, encountered a man who later turned out to be the shooter. This shooter went on to attack a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, and sadly killed three people before ending his own life.
The president of the university believes that it was fortunate that the guard was there, as he prevented a much worse situation from happening on campus. The guard, named Lt. Antonio Bailey, stopped the intruder when students noticed the intruder putting on protective gear. The intruder ran away, and the guard followed him in his car to get his license plate number. The guard reported the incident to the police, and the university locked down for a while to stay safe.
The university is not far from the Dollar General store where the shooting happened. The attacker intentionally targeted black people, and it was considered a racially motivated attack.
The attacker wrote several messages explaining his hateful beliefs. The president of the university, Dr. A. Zachary Faison Jr., expressed sadness for the lives lost and thanked God that the students on campus were safe. He quoted another university leader who believed that divine guidance led to the security guard being in the right place at the right time.
Dr. Faison shared a video message saying that despite the tragedy, the university will continue its important work of educating young people and making positive changes. He believes that something good can come out of this terrible event.
After the shooting, the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, canceled his plans to support the victims and their families. He promised financial help to improve security at the university and to assist the affected families. He emphasized that such hate-driven actions are not acceptable in Florida.