California store owner Laura Ann Carleton was murdered this August after she denied a request to take down a pride flag outside her Cedar Glen shop, Mag. Pi.
When approached by muderer Travis Ikeguchi, Carleton stated that she would never take the flag down.
Ikeguchi tore down the pride flag from her shop and shouted homophobic slurs at Carleton moments before he shot the store owner.
Deputies stated that Ikeguchi had frequently posted anti-LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) content on social media.
“I believe that the whole incident could have been avoided if she had just taken down the flag until the man had left, that way they would both be alive and the store owner would still go by her word of never taking the flag down”, stated Adam Rodriguez, a Sultana High School freshman. Other freshmen and sophomores agree with Rodriguez and said, “There could have been multiple ways of dealing with the situation.”
An LGBTQ group near Lake Arrowhead stated that Carleton wasn’t a member of the LGBTQ community.
Carleton supported everyone and stated that “this is the hill i will die on.”
The deputies in the area tracked down Ikeguchi. When Ikeguchi noticed the deputies, he fired at them striking multiple squad cars. The deputies returned fire and fatally shot Ikeguchi on the same day of his attack.
