4 dead after shooting inside Florida Dollar General store as gunman barricaded inside

At least four people were killed in a Jacksonville, Florida, shooting that saw a gunman barricade himself inside a Dollar General store, according to local reports.

At least three victims died, along with the shooter, CBS affiliate Action News Jax reported. 

Details are still scarce as to exactly how the scene unfolded.

Mayor Donna Deegan, who was on the scene, confirmed earlier that there were “a number of fatalities” following the shooting at a store. She told News4Jax and that a man had barricaded himself inside the Dollar General.

A city council member told news outlets the shooter was dead.

Prior to the shooting, a man had been spotted on the nearby campus of Edward Waters University, a small historically Black university, putting on a ballistics vest, before fleeing from security, WJXT’s Vic Micolucci reported. Action News Jax cited sources that said the gunman was wearing a tactical vest, mask, and glove.

A witness told News4Jax that the shooter fired at some cars.

SWAT team members were seen earlier in the day outside of the Dollar General engaging in a potential standoff with an armed suspect, Action News Jax reported. 

First responders from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office were also on the scene.

“This is unacceptable,” Deegan said. “One shooting is too much but these mass shootings are really hard to take.”