Police Blame Shooting Spree on Race Hatred
A white supremacist who sprayed a shopping center in a largely black neighborhood with random gunfire left neo-Nazi notes behind, leading police to conclude Saturday that racial hatred sparked the deadly shooting.
Larry Wayne Shoemake, 53, was found dead inside the abandoned restaurant where he had fired dozens of shots--killing one person and wounding 10 others, all blacks--before he set the building on fire and perished in the flames Friday night.
The standoff began during peak business hours at the bustling shopping center. Hundreds of shoppers and passing motorists sought cover in buildings and ditches along the highway.
Police gave no details about the notes left in Shoemake’s house, except to say that similar notes were left in multiple locations in the home, indicating he wanted at least one to be found.
The notes appeared to indicate that Shoemake’s white supremacist views triggered the shooting rampage, said police spokesman Lee Vance.
D.Q. Holyfield, 49, was killed in the shooting.
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