Campus Alert Archive
EWU

Nine Minutes That Saved Lives: EWU Security Turns Away a Mass Shooter Before Dollar General

FLarmed personemergency notificationmedium confidence

Shortly after 12:48 p.m. on Saturday, August 26, 2023, an Edward Waters University security officer in Jacksonville confronted Ryan Christopher Palmeter in a faculty parking lot behind the university library after students reported him donning a tactical vest, gloves, mask, and hat. Lt. Antonio Bailey of EWU campus security approached the vehicle; Palmeter sped off, jumped a curb, and left the lot at approximately 12:58 p.m. — roughly 10 minutes after first being spotted. Bailey followed him off campus and flagged down a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office officer with the vehicle description. Palmeter then drove to a nearby Dollar General on Kings Road and killed three Black customers in a racially motivated attack. EWU's quick response is widely credited with preventing what investigators believed would have been an HBCU mass shooting.

Alerts
2
Response
min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Edward Waters University
Hbcu · FL
~1,200 studentsEWU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction221 chars
EWU Alert: All students, faculty and staff are to shelter in place immediately. An armed individual was on campus and has been removed. JSO is investigating. Lock doors. Stay away from windows. More information to follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Sent shortly after EWU security confronted Palmeter at approximately 12:48 PM EDT and he fled campus around 12:58 PM EDT after being approached by Lt. Bailey
Issued before the Dollar General shooting, which began with shots into a black Kia at approximately 1:08 PM EDT — the alert protected EWU students from a potential return visit
Notable that the alert language describes the suspect as 'removed' — accurate but understated; this man was about to commit a triple homicide
Lt. Antonio Bailey was later widely credited with saving lives by recognizing the threat early
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction230 chars
EWU Alert: The earlier suspect on campus has been involved in a separate incident off campus. He is deceased. EWU remains secure. Shelter-in-place lifted. Counseling resources available. Avoid the Kings Road / Dollar General area.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed wording reflecting the unusual circumstance: a suspect removed from campus then immediately killed three people nearby
Notes the suspect is deceased — Palmeter killed himself after the Dollar General shooting
Counseling reference reflects the trauma even of a 'near miss' — students and staff witnessed the gunman before he attacked the store
Kings Road Dollar General was less than a mile from EWU's campus
Context

Background

Edward Waters University, founded in 1866, is Florida's oldest HBCU and the state's first independent institution of higher learning. On August 26, 2023, EWU campus security averted what would likely have been a mass shooting at the university itself. Ryan Christopher Palmeter, 21, drove onto campus at approximately 12:48 p.m. EDT and was seen in a faculty parking lot behind the library putting on a tactical vest, gloves, mask, and hat. A group of students saw him and flagged down Lt. Antonio Bailey, who was on patrol. When Bailey approached the car, Palmeter sped off, jumped a curb, and nearly hit a brick column, leaving the lot at approximately 12:58 p.m. Bailey followed him in his public-safety vehicle down Kings Road, flagged down a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office officer, and relayed a description and license plate. Within roughly two minutes Palmeter had arrived at a Dollar General on Kings Road, less than a mile from EWU, where he killed three Black customers — Angela Michelle Carr, A.J. Laguerre Jr., and Jerrald De'Shaun Gallion — in what the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office classified as a racially motivated hate crime. Palmeter died by suicide at the scene. EWU's quick response — and especially the students who flagged him to security — was credited by federal and local authorities with preventing a likely HBCU mass shooting. Lt. Bailey was later honored by Florida and federal officials.
Analysis

Key Findings

EWU campus security averted a likely HBCU mass shooting by confronting Palmeter in the faculty parking lot, prompting him to flee before he could attack the campus — one of the most consequential 'pre-incident' campus security interventions on record
Students, not security, made the first identification — flagging the suspicious tactical gear to campus police, demonstrating the value of trained student reporting
The shelter-in-place alert went out after the suspect had already left campus — protective in case he returned, which he did not, but illustrating the appropriate caution after armed-suspect contact
Lt. Antonio Bailey was credited with potentially saving dozens of lives — the case study for HBCU campus security training nationwide
Outcome
Suspect fled campus after being confronted by EWU security; shortly after, he attacked a nearby Dollar General, killing three customers before taking his own life. EWU students and staff were unharmed. EWU was praised nationally for averting a likely mass casualty event on campus.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Shooter encountered security at Edwards Waters University in Jacksonville before killing three people at Dollar General
    firstcoastnews.com
  2. reference
    2023 Jacksonville shooting - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  3. national media
    People mourn victims of the Florida shooting as a hate crime investigation begins
    npr.org
  4. national media
    Jacksonville, Florida, shooting: What we know about the racially motivated attack at Dollar General
    cnn.com
  5. national media
    Dollar General shooting victims identified after racially-motivated attack in Jacksonville
    cbsnews.com
Tags
armed-suspecthbcuedward-watersaverted-attackracially-motivatedcampus-security-successjacksonvilleflorida
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion