20 Aug 2023 7:12 pm
Was this really necessary, cons?
Store owner killed in dispute over displaying Pride flag: Police (msn.com)
A California clothing store owner and designer was killed by a gunman who confronted her about a rainbow Pride flag outside her business and shot her after making disparaging remarks about the display, according to police. Laura Ann Carleton was a married mother of nine children. The suspected killer, who has not been publicly identified, fled the crime scene on foot, but was found by sheriff's deputies near Carleton's store, where he was fatally shot in a confrontation, authorities said. The sheriff's office said the assailant was armed with a handgun and refused orders to drop the weapon. "When deputies attempted to contact the suspect, a lethal force encounter occurred and the suspect was pronounced deceased," according to a statement from the sheriff's office. No deputies were injured during the incident. Carleton was gunned down outside her store around 5 p.m. on Friday, according to the sheriff's office.
"Lauri did not identify as LGBTQ+ but spent her time helping & advocating for everyone in the community," a local homo said. "She will be truly missed." The shooting came amid a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ extremism across the nation that has led to protests, threats and violence against the community. A report this year by the Anti-Defamation League and the LGBTQ+ organization GLAAD shows there were more than 350 incidents of harassment, vandalism or assault from June 2022 to April 2023, which the report says coincides with an increase in rhetoric and legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community.