A business owner in California was shot dead outside her clothing shop after a dispute over an LGBTQ+ Pride flag.
Laura Ann Carleton, 66, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting in Cedar Glen on Friday night.
Officials said that during an initial altercation at Carleton’s clothing store, a male suspect “made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton”. He then fled the scene.
Deputies were able to locate the suspect, who was armed, and he was shot dead after a confrontation with the officers.
Carleton, who preferred to be called “Lauri”, is survived by her husband and nine children.
She owned and operated the Mag.Pi clothing store in Cedar Glen, an unincorporated community in the San Bernardino mountains roughly 60 miles (100km) east of Los Angeles.
An LGBTQ+ group in nearby Lake Arrowhead said Carleton did not identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community but spent time helping and advocating for “everyone in the community.” She was defending her Pride flags placed in front of her shop on the night of the shooting, the group said.
There was an outpouring of support on social media, with commenters on the store’s accounts expressing shock and sadness. Many included rainbow flag emojis.
Among those to pay tribute was Bridesmaids director Paul Feig, who remembered Carleton as a “wonderful friend”.
“We are all devastated for her husband Bort and her family and the LGBTQ+ community, for whom Lauri was such a true ally,” he wrote on Instagram, adding: “This intolerance has to end. Anyone using hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community has to realize their words matter, that their words can inspire violence against innocent loving people. Let’s all keep moving forward with tolerance and love. Let’s not let Lauri’s tragic death be in vain.”
Law enforcement agencies in several states have investigated the destruction of rainbow Pride flags as potential hate crimes in recent years.
