A memorial for victims of a racially motivated Jacksonville shooting at Dollar General was damaged, sparking concern among residents and city officials.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A memorial honoring the victims of a racially motivated shooting at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville has been damaged, drawing concern from community members and city leaders.

The memorial, which sits just outside the store on Kings Road, was originally created by community members to honor the three people killed in the Aug. 26, 2023, attack. 

On Monday, three memorial displays were found heavily damaged. Two were completely destroyed, while all had photos torn from their frames and flowers scattered across the ground.

“The community came together to put this up, which made it even more powerful and impactful. Why would somebody damage it? I don’t know why,” Jacksonville City Council Member Rahman Johnson said.

The shooting claimed the lives of Anolt “AJ” Laguerre Jr., Angela Carr and Jerrald Gallion after a gunman entered the store and opened fire.

Johnson said the violence from that day continues to affect families and the broader community.

“That day shattered so many lives. The babies of the parents murdered, the community that felt unsafe. Now it’s time to find peace,” he said.

While at the scene Monday, a Jacksonville Sheriff’s officer was seen speaking with a store manager and looking at the memorial. However, the sheriff’s office said it had not previously been made aware of the damage and confirmed no police report had been filed as of Monday.

A store manager told First Coast News they could not comment on the situation or provide surveillance video. 

Johnson said attention should remain on honoring the victims rather than the damage.

“It’s sad, but instead of focusing on the fact that somebody had to go vandalize that, let’s focus on what we can do to move those lives onto a place of remembrance — who they were, what they were about. We are not going to let their legacy be tainted,” Johnson said.

Johnson added that the city’s Parks and Recreation Department is working to create a permanent memorial to honor the victims.

First Coast News is still working to determine exactly when the memorial was damaged.