California clothing store owner Laura Ann Carleton was allegedly killed by a gunman who confronted her about a rainbow Pride flag outside her business, police said.
A California clothing store owner and designer was killed allegedly by a gunman who confronted her about a rainbow Pride flag outside her business and shot her after making disparaging remarks about the display, according to police.
Laura Ann Carleton, a married mother of nine children, was killed Friday outside her clothing store in Cedar Glen, an unincorporated San Bernardino County community on the shores of Lake Arrowhead, according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspected killer, who has not been publicly identified, fled the crime scene on foot, but was found by sheriff’s deputies near Carleton’s store, where he was fatally shot in a confrontation, authorities said. The sheriff’s office said the assailant was armed with a handgun and refused orders to drop the weapon.
« When deputies attempted to contact the suspect, a lethal force encounter occurred and the suspect was pronounced deceased, » according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
No deputies were injured during the incident.
Carleton was gunned down outside her store around 5 p.m. on Friday, according to the sheriff’s office.
« Through further investigation, detectives learned the suspect made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton, » according to the sheriff’s office statement.
The investigation is ongoing and the sheriff’s office released no further details. Authorities asked that anyone with information about the shooting to contact homicide investigators immediately.
