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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/20/california-shop-owner-shot-dead-over-lgbtq-pride-flag>
"A business owner in California was shot and killed after a dispute over a
LGBTQ+ Pride flag displayed outside her store, authorities said.
Officials from the San Bernardino county sheriff’s office said Laura Ann
Carleton, 66, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting 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. By Sunday, the man had not been
identified.
Carleton, who preferred to be called “Lauri”, is survived by her husband and
nine children in a blended family.
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. 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, commenters on the store’s
accounts expressing shock and sadness. Many included rainbow flag emojis."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
