The person who killed Mag.Pi store owner Laura Carleton on Aug. 18 had a history of expressing messages critical of both the LGBTQ community and law enforcement, according to his posts on social media.
Travis Ikeguchi, 27, who fatally shot Carleton after previously tearing down her establishment’s Rainbow Flag, was killed by police after firing his weapon at officers following Carleton’s death, according to authorities. Ikeguchi was not identified at first, but his name emerged in the aftermath of Carleton’s death amid a wave of national attention on the case.
Ikeguchi expressed an “intense hatred” for law enforcement, according to his X (formerly known as Twitter) and Gab posts, and he spewed extreme anti-LGBTQ opinions and various bigoted remarks for years.
“The content of Ikeguchi’s social media posts contained posts critical to the LGBTQIA community,” Mara Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, said, according to ABC Los Angeles.
One of his posts from Pride Month of this year included a video of a Rainbow flag being burned, with a comment stating, “What to do with the [Pride] flag?”
According to the LA Times, a person who reviewed surveillance footage of the incident said Ikeguchi allegedly hesitated before deciding to grab his gun and shoot Carleton. Ikeguchi then fled the store, shooting through the door once, before fleeing.
Ikeguchi allegedly did not have a concealed carry license, and the semi-automatic handgun he used in the killing was not registered under his name.
Many LGBTQ groups have decried the murder as another example of violence against the LGBTQ community and their allies.
“No one should feel unsafe or be attacked for who they are or for simply supporting the LGBTQ community,” Sarah Kate Ellis, the chief executive and president of the LGBTQ media monitoring group GLAAD, said in a public written statement. “Lauri’s murder is the latest example of how anti-LGBTQ hatred hurts everyone, whether they are LGBTQ or not.”
