Authorities claim that the man who was accused of fatally shooting a store owner in Cedar Glen last week amid an argument over a Pride flag shared anti-LGBTQ+ posts on social media.
On Friday, August 18, a shooting took place at the Mag Pi clothing store close to Lake Arrowhead.
Laura Ann Carleton, 66, was shot and killed by Travis Ikeguchi, 27, according to investigators, who claimed that she had placed a Pride flag outside her place of business.
Ikeguchi ripped down the flag while he argued with Carleton before shooting her, according to a 911 caller, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus. He added that the suspect shouted “many homophobic slurs” in Carleton’s direction.
Ikeguchi ran away from the scene on foot, but sheriff’s deputies located him close to Carleton’s business, where he was engaged in a struggle and shot dead, according to authorities.
Ikeguchi’s family reported him missing the day before the shooting, though specifics of that report weren’t immediately available, according to Mara Rodriguez, the SBCSD’s public information officer.
Rodriguez also talked about Ikeguchi’s online behavior, claiming the 27-year-old had posted remarks on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Gab insulting the LGBTQ+ community.
“The content of Ikeguchi’s social media posts contained posts critical to the LGBTQIA community,” said Rodriguez.
According to a Gab post obtained by Eyewitness News, Ikeguchi shared a photo of a burning Pride flag and wrote, “We need to stop compromising on this LGBT dictatorship and not let them take over our lives.” The caption later asked, “Who has the courage to post this and feel no shame of it!?”
Ikeguchi, according to Rodriguez, would also repost films with “anti-law enforcement content.”
