Laura Ann “Lauri” Carleton. RIP
A Southern California clothing store owner was shot and killed after an argument about a rainbow Pride flag hanging outside her business, police said, as the LGBTQ+ community continues to face violence and threats across America, reports CNN.
Laura Ann “Lauri” Carleton, 66, died from a gunshot wound Friday evening at her store, Mag.Pi, in Cedar Glen, about 80 miles by car east of Los Angeles, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said.
The suspected shooter, Travis Ikeguchi, 27, also is dead following a shootout with deputies after the suspect fled from the first shooting, authorities said.
Ikeguchi had torn down the flag and yelled “many homophobic slurs” toward Carleton, and Ikeguchi shot Carleton when she confronted him, Sheriff Shannon Dicus said. Ikeguchi had also made “several disparaging remarks” about the flag before shooting Carleton, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper spoke with Carleton’s daughter, Ari Carleton, about her mother’s legacy.
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