Jacksonville gunman who shot three dead had racist manifestos - police - BBC

Reuters

By Antoinette Radford

BBC News

A man who shot dead three people in a racially motivated attack in Florida wrote of his hatred of black people, police say.

Twenty-one year old Ryan Christopher Palmeter fired eleven rounds at one woman sitting in her car in Jacksonville, before entering a shop and shooting another two people.

Sheriff T K Waters said he then turned the gun on himself.

Mayor Donna Deegan said the attack was driven by racist hatred.

At a news conference on Sunday, Sheriff Waters confirmed the gunman had no previous criminal history and had lived with his parents in Clay County.

The three victims were identified as Anolt Laguerre Jr, 19, Jerrald De'Shaun Gallion, 29 and 52 year-old Angela Carr.

Mr Laguerre worked at the Dollar General store where the attack happened, the company said.

He had authored several manifestos detailing his hatred of black people, police said.

Sheriff Waters said those manifestos "detailed the shooter's disgusting ideology of hate".

"Finely put: this shooting was racially motivated and he hated black people." he said.

"The manifesto is, quite frankly... the diary of a madman," he said. "He knew what he was doing. He was 100% lucid. He knew what he was doing and again, it's disappointing that anyone would go to these lengths to hurt someone else".

Mr Waters said the gunman had been detained for 72 hours in 2017 under the Baker Act, mental health legislation that allows the involuntary detainment of an individual for treatment.

But the sheriff said his weapons had been acquired legally, telling reporters the problem was not with the availability of guns, but with the killer being "a bad guy".

He urged people not to "look for sense in a senseless act of violence".

Jacksonville police played CCTV video at the news conference showing the moment the attacker walked up to the car where he killed the first woman. It then cut to video of him entering the shop.

Mr Waters also confirmed that the gunman let some people out of the shop without injuring them.

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"Why? I don't know. Some of them were white, but I do believe there was a couple that were not," he said.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Sunday the Justice Department was "investigating this attack as a hate crime and an act of racially motivated violent extremism".

"No person in this country should have to live in fear of hate-fuelled violence and no family should have to grieve the loss of a loved one to bigotry and hate," he said.

The attack happened less than a mile from the historically black Edwards Waters University.

The gunman first went to the university campus, where he was asked to identify himself by a security officer, the university said in a statement. When he refused, he was asked to leave.

"The individual returned to their car and left campus without incident," the statement added.

Sheriff Waters said the gunman was then seen putting on a bullet-resistant vest and a mask before leaving the campus.

The university went into lockdown after the shooting.

Related Topics

• US gun violence
• Racism
• United States

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2023-08-28 09:33:55Z
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Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 551 of the invasion - The Guardian

• Russia’s investigative committee, which looks into serious crimes, said it had confirmed that the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was among the people killed in Wednesday’s plane crash. After forensic testing, all 10 bodies recovered at the site had been identified, and their identities “conform to the manifest”. The committee did not offer any details as to what might have caused the crash.

• A senior Ukrainian government official has confirmed the safe passage of a second vessel through the Black Sea from Ukraine’s port of Odesa, after Russia’s withdrawal in July from a UN-brokered deal allowing the export of grain.

• Russia’s defence ministry said it sent a fighter plane in response to a US air force reconnaissance drone over the Black Sea. The Tass news agency said the drone had not breached Russia’s state border.

• Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation after a midair collision between two warplanes in the west of the country killed three pilots. One of the pilots, Andriy “Juice” Pilshchykov, had travelled to Washington DC last summer to meet members of the US Cоngress and lobby for F-16 planes.

• Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said national elections could take place during wartime if international partners shared the cost, legislators approved, and everyone got to the polls. Zelenskiy was responding to comments from the US senator Lindsey Graham who, while praising the war effort, said Ukraine needed to show it was different by holding elections in wartime.

• The co-founder of Russian tech company Yandex has made a formal request to have EU sanctions on him lifted, in a potential test of whether the EU will take a more sympathetic view of figures who distance themselves from the Kremlin.

• Russia reported another series of drone attacks on its territory in the early hours of Sunday. Officials said the strikes killed at least one person in a region bordering Ukraine and again forced the temporary closure of three major airports serving the capital, Moscow.

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2023-08-28 08:38:02Z
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Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin killed in plane crash, Russia’s investigative committee confirms - The Guardian

Russia’s investigative committee has confirmed that the Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash.

The committee said on Sunday that after forensic testing, all 10 bodies recovered at the site of the crash had been identified, and their identities “conform to the manifest”.

Russia’s civil aviation authority said earlier this week that Prigozhinand some of his top lieutenants were on the list of those onboard the plane that crashed on Wednesday.

More details soon …

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2023-08-27 11:15:00Z
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Emmerson Mnangagwa re-elected president of Zimbabwe - but opposition rejects result - Sky News

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been re-elected for a second and final term as final results were announced much earlier than expected following a troubled vote in the African country.

Within minutes of the announcement, a spokesperson for the main opposition party said they rejected the "hastily assembled" results.

Mr Mnangagwa won 52.6% of the vote, the Zimbabwe Election Commission said last night in the capital, Harare.

Opposition leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change Party, Nelson Chamisa, won 44% of the vote, according to the commission.

The result will likely be scrutinised after election observers from the European Union and African Union raised questions over the environment in the build-up to the vote and pointed to an atmosphere of intimidation against Mr Chamisa's supporters.

The election was due to be held on just one day, last Wednesday, but voting was extended to Thursday after delays and problems with the printing of ballot papers.

Results of the presidential election were expected on Monday but came just two days after the ballots closed, much sooner than expected.

More on Emmerson Mnangagwa

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Promise Mkwananzi, a spokesperson for the Citizens Coalition for Change Party, said: "We reject any results hastily assembled without proper verification.

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"We will advise citizens on the next steps as the situation develops."

The result keeps the ruling Zanu-PF party in the presidency.

Image: Supporters of President Mnangagwa. Pic: AP

Zanu-PF has been in government for 43 years since Zimbabwe won independence from white minority rule in 1980.

Mr Mnangagwa replaced long-ruling autocrat Robert Mugabe in a coup in 2017 and won a disputed election by a razor-thin margin against Mr Chamisa in 2018.

Ahead of the results being announced, dozens of armed police with water cannon guarded the national results centre, the scene of deadly violence after the previous vote five years ago when the army killed six people following protests over delays in announcing presidential election results.

Image: Nelson Chamisa. Pic: AP

Many people in the country of 15 million are sure to view the result with suspicion.

Zimbabwe has a long history of allegedly rigging and disputing the outcome of polls, which has led to violent protests and challenges to election results.

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2023-08-27 04:47:01Z
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Three US Marines killed as military aircraft crashes during exercise in Australia - The Independent

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At least three US Marines were killed in an aircraft crash on the Australian Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin, the US military officials said on Sunday.

Another five were in a “serious condition” and have been transported to the Royal Darwin Hospital, Marine Rotation Force – Darwin said in a statement.

The statement added that 23 Marines were on an MV-22B Osprey helicopter during routine training exercises when it crashed on the remote Melville Island, 60km off the coast from Darwin.

“The Marines aboard the aircraft were flying in support of Exercise Predators Run. Recovery efforts are ongoing,” the statement read.

The cause of the crash was being investigated, Marine Rotation Force - Darwin said.

The aircraft crash occurred after 9am (0100 GMT), the Northern Territory Police commissioner Michael Murphy said.

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese called the crash “tragic” and said Australian personnel were not involved.

“Our focus as a government and as a department of defence is very much on incident response and on making sure that every support and assistance is given at this difficult time,” the prime minister said during a previously scheduled press conference in Western Australia.

Around 2,500 personnel from Australia, the US, the Philippines, Indonesia and East Timor were taking part in the Exercise Predators Run 2023.

The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft crashed on Melville Island during Exercise Predators Run, which involves the militaries of the United States, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and East Timor, the Australian Defense Department said.

“Initial reports suggest the incident involves United States defence personnel and that Australian Defence Force members were not involved,” the ministry said in an emailed statement.

Mr Albanese said his government was focussed on providing support. Mr Albanese, speaking at a previously scheduled press conference, declined to provide details about the crash or rescue efforts.

“Our focus as a government and as a department of defence is very much on incident response and on making sure that every support and assistance is given at this difficult time,” he said.

The US and Australia, a key ally in the Pacific, have been stepping up military cooperation in recent years in the face of an increasingly assertive China.

Four Australian soldiers were killed last month during large bilateral exercises when their helicopter crashed into the ocean off the coast of Queensland.

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2023-08-27 10:35:16Z
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Emmerson Mnangagwa: 'The Crocodile' wins second term as Zimbabwe president - BBC

Reuters

By Alex Binley

BBC News

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been elected to a second term with 52.6% of the vote, the electoral commission says.

However, the opposition claimed there had been widespread vote-rigging and international observers said the vote fell short of democratic standards.

Mr Mnangagwa is only Zimbabwe's third president. A 2017 coup against veteran ruler Robert Mugabe put him in charge.

Zimbabweans still face high inflation, poverty and a climate of fear.

When he first became president, Mr Mnangagwa - known as "The Crocodile" for his ruthlessness - promised a new start for his country's people.

But Zimbabwe had one of the highest inflation rates in the world last month - prices in July had rocketed by 101.3% since the previous year. Unemployment also remains rife, with only 25% of Zimbabweans holding formal jobs.

Mr Mnangagwa's vow to guarantee human rights also appears hollow, with little changing in this regard since Mr Mugabe's departure.

Reuters

Critics say the 80-year-old silenced dissent and clamped down on the opposition in the run-up to the vote, which he had been widely-expected to win.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said Mr Mnangagwa's main challenger, Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC) candidate Nelson Chamisa, secured 44% of the vote.

Mr Mnangagwa received more than 2.3m votes, while Mr Chamisa took 1.9m, according to the ZEC. Voter turnout in the country of almost 16m was 69%, the electoral body said.

The opposition claims the vote was rigged, but the constitutional court has upheld the result.

• Zimbabwe’s ‘crocodile’ who wants another bite
• Zimbabwe country profile

A spokesperson for the CCC posted on X - formerly known as Twitter - that the party rejected "any result hastily assembled without proper verification".

Promise Mkwananzi, a spokesperson for the party, told the AFP news agency that the CCC did not sign the "false" final tally and "cannot accept the results".

He said the party would announce its next move soon.

Observer missions from the EU, Commonwealth and 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) said they had a number of concerns with the vote, including the banning of opposition rallies, issues with the electoral register, biased state media coverage and voter intimidation.

"The elections were fraught with irregularities and aggrieved the people of Zimbabwe," political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya told AFP.

The run-up to the election was largely free of violence, but CCC members were convicted on what they describe as fabricated charges aimed at weakening the party. The party says the police have banned several of its meetings since July, and nearly 100 gatherings since it was formed in January last year.

Earlier this month, 40 CCC members, including a parliamentary candidate, were arrested while campaigning in the capital Harare.

The recent killing of a CCC backer, allegedly by supporters of Mr Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF party, further raised concerns about rights.

Critics continue to be arrested and taken to court for insulting the president - an offence punishable by one year in jail or a fine or both. A man in Harare was charged in April after allegedly being overheard by a police officer saying that Mr Mnangagwa would lose the next election.

"The Crocodile", as he is known, has a fearsome reputation that was cemented after independence during the civil war that broke out in the 1980s between Mr Mugabe's Zanu party and the Zapu party of Joshua Nkomo.

As national security minister, Mr Mnangagwa was in charge of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), which worked hand in glove with the army to suppress Zapu.

Thousands of civilians - mainly ethnic Ndebeles, seen as Zapu supporters - were killed in a campaign known as Gukurahundi, before the two parties merged to form Zanu-PF.

Mr Mnangagwa has denied any role in the massacres. As president he has tried to broach reconciliation. Some have felt his comments glib given the deep wounds in Matabeleland, but an initiative to allow exhumations and reburials has been agreed.

Voting in the presidential and parliamentary elections was meant to take place on Wednesday, but was extended into Thursday in some areas due to the late distribution of ballot papers.

Mr Mnangagwa's election means Zanu-PF has ruled Zimbabwe for 43 years, since the country gained independence from British rule in 1980.

The party was also declared the winner in the parliamentary race, securing 136 of 210 seats, with the CCC taking 73. A further 60 seats are reserved for women and are appointed through proportional representation.

Related Topics

• Emmerson Mnangagwa
• Zimbabwe

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2023-08-27 04:16:05Z
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Wagner group boss dead: Prigozhin was a tyrant and murderer, don’t mistake him for a victim - The Independent

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It is not surprising that Russian authorities have declared Yevgeny Prigozhin dead. Given the attempted mutiny he led with the Wagner mercenary group against Moscow, the assumption was that he may not be long for this world. When it comes to the iron-grip President Vladimir Putin has on his nation – if you come for the king, as the adage goes, you best not miss.

But as the speculation swirls about the end of Prigozhin and the embarrassment that Putin could not let stand, it can be easy to brush past the terrible things Progozhin's mercenaries are believed to have done. Let's get this straight, Prigozhin deserved the end that all signs point to him having met.

It is Putin's invasion of Ukraine that pushed Prigozhin truly into the public consciousness, with the group having been at the vanguard of some of the bloodiest fighting of the war around the eastern city of Bakhmut.

It was this battle, for a place that has gained symbolic value for both Kyiv and Moscow, that made the military elite in the Russian capital sit up and take notice. It will have made Progozhin enemies, even if the brutality Wagner dished out will have made some wary of lashing out against him too publicly.

It is clear that atrocities have been committed by the troops he led. My colleague Kim Sengupta interviewed a former Wagner fighter last month, someone who had been on that battlefield. While the fighter refused to speak freely about this, he did say: “Some very bad things happened there,” Sergey says. “I have seen bad things. It was not just one side – the Ukrainians shot prisoners. But there were acts against [Ukrainian] civilians that shouldn’t have happened, it’s been a dirty war…” Others have spoken about shooting prisoners of war and "tossing grenades" into ditches of Ukrainian soldiers taken.

It is not just on the frontline either. Ukraine has accused Russian forces of terrible atrocities against the civilians of Bucha and other towns and villages outside the capital Kyiv, occupied by Russian troops in the opening weeks of the invasion before being liberated by Ukraine. Both Kim and another colleague Bel Trew have witnessed the bodies left in the wake of Russia pulling out of the area. Kyiv is adamant those atrocities will be tried as war crimes. It is part of a mounting body of evidence of Russian war crimes – and Wagner will have to face that particular music, too.

The mercenary group has been involved in Ukraine since Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and the tales of their brutality are long and oft-repeated. Prigozhin's forces have also been involved in Syria's civil war and have a presence in a number of African states. The trail of blood has followed them wherever they have been.

A UN report released in May detailed an incident in Mali, in the wake of an extensive fact-finding mission conducted by UN staff over several months. It accuses foreign mercenaries – believed to be from Wagner – Wagner of being involved in the slaughter hundreds of people in the village of Moura in March 2022. Only a small fraction were said to be soldiers, with many more being civilians. The allegations would mark the worst single atrocity associated with Wagner outside of Ukraine.

Violence is Wagner's language. The fact that Prigozhin led his march on Moscow shows that it is all he really understand too. So a violent end would be appropriate. Terror follows both he and his mercenaries – and we should not forget that.

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2023-08-26 11:29:05Z
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