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On Friday, August 18, 27-year-old Travis Ikeguchi was fatally shot down by San Bernardino authorities after he allegedly killed 66-year-old local business owner Laura Carleton. The shooting of Carleton reportedly stemmed from a dispute over a Pride flag she had put up on the premises of her business, the Mag.Pi clothing store near Lake Arrowhead.
Ikeguchi, who identified online as a Christian, reportedly had a long history of making homophobic Facebook posts.
Trigger warning: This article concerns homophobia and gun violence. The reader's discretion is advised.
After the shooting of Laura Carleton, Travis Ikeguchi allegedly attempted to flee the scene on foot. When confronted by approaching authorities, Ikeguchi opened fire on them, prompting law enforcement officers to return fire. The 27-year-old murder suspect died at the scene of the gunfight.
What was the suspected motive of Cedar Glen store killer Travis Ikeguchi?
As per the New York Post, Travis Ikeguchi had no criminal record prior to the shooting. However, Ikeguchi had an extensive history of posting homophobic content online. CBS noted that in several posts, he accused the LGTBQ+ community of attempting to impose their beliefs on Americans. Identifying himself as a Christian, he said he had a responsibility to fight against the community.
In a post on the far-right alt-tech microblogging and social networking site Gab, Ikeguchi wrote:
“We need to STOP COMPROMISING on this LGBT dictatorship…True followers of Christ SHOULD NOT and NEVER TOLERATE this stupid indoctrination of LGBT agenda in marriage or in our own businesses.…Who has the courage to post this and feel no shame of it!?”
Travis Ikeguchi's bio on his GAB account stated that he held several radical beliefs.
"Anti-freemasonry, Anti-zionism, Anti-jesuits, and Anti-paganism, same-sex marriage should be abolished," his bio read.
On Friday, August 18, Travis Ikeguchi ended up in a verbal altercation with popular San Bernardino activist, business owner, and LGBTQ+ ally Laura Ann Carleton. Ikeguchi reportedly took issue with the fact that Carleton had put up LGBTQ+ flags around her business. The 27-year-old shooting suspect is accused of ripping down the flags before leveling a slew of derogatory terms at the 66-year-old. When the verbal dispute escalated, Ikeguchi fatally shot the elderly activist.
Following the shooting, Travis Ikeguchi attempted to flee the scene on foot. A mile away from the scene, he was surrounded by several police cars. After a brief exchange of gunfire, the suspect was left dead. Upon searching his body, authorities determined that his handgun was unregistered and that he had no legal right to carry it.
Carleton's murder sent shockwaves across the LGBTQ+ community. While the victim did not identify as a member of the LGBTQ community, she had always been an extremely vocal supporter of the movement. According to The Independent, in the past two years, Laura Carleton has had the pride flags ripped down from her local business on more than one occasion. However, the homicide victim would always aim to put another one up.
Local LGBTQ+ activists comment on the death of Laura Carleton
According to Opoyi, Laura Carleton is survived by her husband and nine children. Her death had an impact on members of the LGBTQ+ community all across the country. In the wake of Carleton's death, the Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ organization posted a message on its Facebook page, commemorating Carleton's passion and unshakable support for their cause.
The statement read:
"Today was a very sad day for Lake Arrowhead and for the LGBTQ community. Our friend and supporter Lauri Carleton... was murdered defending her lgbtq+ Pride flags in front of her store in Cedar Glen, California."
In the wake of the shooting, the Lake Arrowhead group has called for raising awareness of violence against members of the community and their allies. According to ABC, there have been approximately 350 recorded incidents of violence and harassment against LGTBQ+ people from June 2022 to April 2023.
