[16] At 1:09 p.m., a one-round ShotSpotter alert went off, followed by Palmeter reentering the store through the rear door and attempting to shoot a security camera but missing.

[23] The shooter, Ryan Christopher Palmeter (November 28, 2001 – August 26, 2023),[6][7] was a 21-year-old white male from Orange Park, Florida, who lived in the Oakleaf Plantation area of Jacksonville before he killed himself during the shooting.

[9] During the call, Palmeter told police that he was distressed and planned to kill himself by jumping off the Bank of America Tower in downtown Jacksonville.

[25] Jacksonville police showed images of Palmeter's AR-15–style rifle bearing a swastika and racial slurs drawn in white sharpie, along with a Glock pistol without markings.

[16] Palmeter's vest had a Rhodesian Army patch on it, a symbol which had previously been used by other white supremacists, including Dylann Roof, the perpetrator of the Charleston church shooting.

[26] In a manifesto reviewed by Rolling Stone shortly after the shooting, Palmeter denounced Eminem and Machine Gun Kelly for their close ties to black musical artists, identifying them as potential targets.

[25] In January 2024, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released a manifesto written by Palmeter, titled A White Boy Summer to Remember.

Besides referencing the aforementioned mass murderers, he also extensively wrote about Brenton Tarrant, the perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque shootings, calling him a "main inspiration".

[28] Governor Ron DeSantis issued a statement in which he referred to Palmeter as a "scumbag" and a "coward" for killing himself instead of facing responsibility for his actions.

"[29] Florida state representative Angie Nixon criticized DeSantis and called the shooting "a stark reminder of the dangerous consequences of unchecked racism.