Neighbor relives racist attack at Dollar General, wants permanent memorial as store prepares for reopening

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As preparations are underway for the reopening of the Dollar General where three people were killed in August, a nearby resident is giving a new perspective on the brutal attack and how the community is faring now.

AJ Laguerre Junior,19, Angela Carr, 52, and Jerrald Gallion, 29, were shot and killed at the store in the Grand Park area of Northwest Jacksonville on Aug. 26. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.

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Joy Shepard Harrington, who lives near the Dollar General, said seeing the store every day reminds her of the shooting.

“That was a horrible day. If you never lived through nothing like that, you don’t want to. With all the gunshots that I’ve heard around here…that day was different,” Harrington said.

Harrington said her husband witnessed the attack.

“He talks about it every day,” Harrington said. “When it became a month, he [said] ‘Joy, it’s a month. Joy, it’s two months.’ Just the other day, he said ‘Joy, it’s three months.’”

She said she wants a permanent memorial to honor the victims and make sure no one forgets what happened there in August.

“…so that 20 years from now, when they grandchildren and children come alone, they noticed somebody that cares about their family members,” Harrington said.

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On Thursday, Mayor Donna Deegan told News4JAX reporter Jim Piggott the city is in continuing talks with Dollar General about how they can support the community in the aftermath of the shooting.

When asked about the permanent memorial, Deegan said, “I don’t know anything about that, but I do know that we are continuing conversations with Dollar General about all manner of improvements and things that we can do.”

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From the outside, the store appears to be nearing the end of its remodel after the violence.

Harrington said she won’t set foot in that Dollar General again.

News4JAX contacted Dollar General about whether a more permanent memorial is planned for the site, but we haven’t heard back.