California shop owner shot dead over LGBTQ+ Pride flag displayed at store
Man made comments about flag at Laura Ann Carlton’s store in Cedar Glen and killed her before being shot and killed by police
www.theguardian.com
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.
A Lake Arrowhead store-owner flew a pride flag. Police say a man killed her for it
Laura Ann Carleton was fatally shot by a man over a Pride flag displayed outside her shop in San Bernardino County, then law enforcement shot the man.
www.latimes.com
The killing sent shock waves across the local community.
Democratic congressional candidate Derek Marshall, who is gay, said Carleton was a huge supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and a "class act." People within the community described Carleton as "kind" and almost like a "second mom" to them, he said.
"She was very proud of flying the Pride flag," Marshall said.
The Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+ organization said in an Instagram post that while Carleton didn't identify as LGBTQ+, she was defending her Pride flags placed in front her shop the night of the shooting.
"Lauri's unwavering support for the LGBTQ+ community and her dedication to creating a safe and inclusive space within her shop touched the lives of many," the group said in a statement. "Her untimely passing in a senseless act of violence has left us all deeply saddened."
