(screen capture via ABC7)The owner of the Mag Pi clothing store in Lake Arrowhead was shot and killed during a dispute over a Pride flag on Friday evening.
Police arrived to find Laura Ann Carleton, 66, with a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
The Lake Arrowhead community is mourning the loss of a store owner who was shot and killed allegedly over a Pride flag that was hanging outside her boutique. Eyewitness News learned she was a mother of nine. https://t.co/uLLSd33amJ pic.twitter.com/EGxD2RsFIZ
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) August 20, 2023
From the Los Angeles ABC News affiliate
According to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, the suspect, who has not been identified, “made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton.”
Deputies found the suspect near Torrey and Rause Rancho Roads, armed with a handgun.
“When deputies attempted to contact the suspect, a lethal force encounter occurred, and the suspect was pronounced deceased,” read an update from the sheriff’s department. No deputies were injured.
The shooter was reportedly 27-years-old. I can’t help but wonder when people do stupid shit like this – pulling out a gun and shooting someone over a flag – do they consider what happens next?
The Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ organization spoke out about the shooting, saying though Carleton (who went by the name Lauri) didn’t identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, she “spent her time helping and advocating for everyone in the community.”
Carleton is survived by her husband and nine children.
Another local organization, Mountain Provisions Cooperative, also expressed their condolences writing:
“Lauri was a pillar in our community, an immovable force in her values for equality, love, and justice. If you knew Lauri you know she loved hard, laughed often, and nurtured and protected those she cared about.
“She was a force, she loved to crack jokes and wanted to live as joyful of a life as possible. We will continue to stand for the values she so selflessly stood for. Her death will not be in vain.”