The manager of a California store was shot and killed Friday evening, August 18, after an argument over an LGBTQ+ flag displayed in front of her store.
Another deadly shooting in the United States. Laura Ann Carleton, 66, was shot and killed Friday in Cedar Glen, Calif., reports The Guardian.
According to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office officials, during an initial altercation at the Carleton clothing store, a male suspect “made several derogatory remarks about a rainbow flag being held in outside the business, before shooting Carleton”. He then fled. The police were able to locate the suspect, who was armed, and shot him dead. As of Sunday, the man had still not been identified.
Laura Ann Carleton is survived by her husband and nine children in a blended family. She owned the Mag.Pi clothing store in Cedar Glen in the San Bernardino Mountains, about 100 miles east of Los Angeles.
A group of LGBTQ+ activists near Lake Arrowhead said Carleton does not identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community but spends time helping and advocating for everyone. She was defending her Pride flags outside her store the night of the shooting, this group said.
“We are all devastated for her husband Bort and his family and the LGBTQ+ community, for whom Lauri was a true ally,” director Paul Feig said on Instagram. Before adding: “This intolerance must stop. (…) Let us all continue to move forward with tolerance and love. Let’s not let Lauri’s tragic death be in vain.”
In recent years, law enforcement in several states in the United States have investigated the tearing down of Pride’s rainbow flags as potential hate crimes.
2023-08-21 13:31:23
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