JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (NEWSnet/AP) — Family members of three people fatally shot at a Dollar General in Florida have sued the store’s landlord, operator and security contractor, claiming lax security led to their loved ones’ deaths.

The lawsuit was filed in state court Monday on behalf of the families of Angela Carr, Jerrald Gallion and A.J. Laguerre. The families also named the shooter's estate and his parents as defendants in the lawsuit.

[Earlier Report: White Shooter Kills 3 Black People in Florida Hate Crime, Officials Say]

Ryan Palmeter, the 21-year-old gunman in the case, had attempted to enter another store and the campus of Edward Waters University, a historically Black college. last August, but he was stopped by the presence of security guards at both places. Then he went to the Dollar General.

All three sites are in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Jacksonville; the three who were killed were Black.

Palmeter killed himself at the scene of the attack, leaving behind racist writings and a suicide note.

“While Palmeter was deterred from harming the public at his two preceding stops, at this Dollar General, there was nothing in place to again deter Palmeter from attacking and killing innocent persons,” the families’ lawsuit said.

Investigators have said Palmeter made clear in his writings that he hated Black people. During the attack, he texted his father and told him to break into his room and check his computer. There, the father found the note and the writings.

The family notified authorities, but by then the shooting had already begun, detectives said.

Copyright 2023 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.