A 27-year-old man has been identified as the suspect who murdered Laura 'Lauri' Ann Carleton because she had a rainbow Pride flag outside her store. Before the murder, Travis Ikeguchi, the suspect, was posting anti-LGBT+ content on social media.
His social media profile reads, “There is only one way to the path of salvation and to have eternal life and that is through Jesus Christ. And yes, the path is narrow.”
The Independent reports:
The shooter, identified as Travis Ikeguchi, killed 66-year-old Laura Ann Carleton at her clothing store "Mag Pi" at Hook Creek Road in Cedar Glen after he made "several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store," authorities in San Bernardino County said.
Carleton's flags had been torn down before, and she always responded by putting up a bigger one.
The mother-of-nine and a "true LGBTQ+ ally" was pronounced dead on the spot.
Ikeguchi fled the crime scene on foot but was intercepted by deputies a mile from the store on Friday. The suspect opened fire with an unregistered Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistol, striking multiple squad cars, sheriff Shannon Dicus told reporters.
The deputies returned fire and shot Ikeguchi, who died at the scene, the sheriff added.
It appears that Ikeguchi was a "pro-life Christian":
He was a reformed Trump supporter:
When he died, the world lost nothing.
But when Lauri Carleton was killed, a marginalized community lost a strong ally. May her memory be empowering.
