U.S. Florida shooting leaves 4 dead, including shooter

A racially motivated shooting at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, the U.S. state of Florida, left at least four people dead, including the shooter, on Saturday afternoon, reported Xinhua.

The shooting happened blocks away from Edward Waters University, a historically black college, where students living on campus were told to stay in their residence halls.

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said in a press conference that the victims -- two men and one woman -- were all black people.

The suspect, a white male in his early 20s, was armed with a high-powered rifle and a handgun, wearing a tactical vest, according to police.

"This shooting was racially motivated and he hated black people," Waters told reporters.

The gunman, who has not been publicly identified, lived in Clay County, Florida, with his parents, said the sheriff.

He left behind what the sheriff described as three manifestos outlining his "disgusting ideology of hate" and his motive for the attack.

The shooter told his father by a text message at 1:18 p.m. (1718 GMT) to "check his computer." The father found the documents and the family alerted the police. But by the time the police responded, the shooting had already begun, said Waters.

"This is a dark day in Jacksonville's history. Any loss of life is tragic. But the hate that motivated the shooter's killing spree adds an additional layer of heartbreak," he said.

The suspect, who shot himself after the attack, was believed to have acted alone and no evidence suggested that he was part of a large group, according to police. "We know that he acted completely alone," Waters said.

The police are still in the early stages of an investigation, said Waters, adding that the case will be thoroughly investigated although the shooter has died.