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California store owner killed over Pride flag
Mag.Pi store owner Laura Carleton was shot and killed by a man allegedly over a Pride flag displayed outside her business. Carleton was remembered in LA as a fashion designer.
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. - A boutique owner in the Cedar Glen area of San Bernardino County was shot and killed over what police believe may have stemmed from an argument over the Pride flag being displayed outside her business.
Laura Ann Carleton was shot and killed outside the Mag.Pi store in Cedar Glen Friday night. Carleton was the owner of the store, which has another location in Studio City, and has been a well-known fashion designer in Los Angeles for years.
The incident prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to speak out. He called the killing "horrific" on social media.
Officials were called out to the store on Hook Creek Road around 5 p.m., and despite efforts to save Carleton, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Her alleged attacker, later identified as Travis Ikeguchi, was found later that day nearby, armed with a handgun. He was shot and killed.
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Over the weekend, deputies said that the shooting at the store came after Ikeguchi allegedly made "disparaging comments" about the rainbow flags displayed outside the store. According to TMZ, the man allegedly shot Carleton because of his views on the flag.
Newsom posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter Sunday, calling the shooting "absolutely horrific."
"This disgusting hate has no place in [California]," the governor added.
In a statement to TMZ, San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe called the incident a "senseless act of hate and violence."
"Everyone deserves to live free of hate and discrimination and practice their constitutional right of freedom of speech," Rowe said. "Lauri was a remarkable member of the community and I send my deepest condolences to her family in this time of grief."
Carleton leaves behind nine kids.