California shop owner Lauri Carleton killed over Pride flag
Travis Ikeguchi appeared to “flinch” before fatally shooting Laura Carleton during a heated dispute over a Pride flag, surveillance footage shows.
Authorities say Ikeguchi hurled homophobic slurs at Carleton over a rainbow flag flying from her Mag.Pi store in Cedar Glen, California, before firing a single shot that killed the 66-year-old mother of nine on 18 August.
The fatal shooting was captured on the store’s closed-circuit cameras, according to the Los Angeles Times.
An acquaintance who viewed the disturbing footage told the Times that Ikeguchi momentarily paused before opening fire.
“He then almost flinched as if thinking twice but then went for it, grabbed the gun and then aimed it and shot Lauri,” the acquaintance told the Times.
Meanwhile, public records reviewed by The Independent have revealed that Ikeguchi’s father is a decorated Florida Highway Patrol state trooper and a firearms and active shooter instructor.
The police link comes after officials said that Ikeguchi’s social media accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter, and far-right site Gab were filled with bigoted anti-LGBTQ+ posts and posts showing an intense hatred for law enforcement long before he murdered Carleton.
