A woman and two men have been shot dead in Jacksonville, Florida, in what is being called a “hate-filled crime”. 

The three people, all black, were shot dead by a white man in his early 20s in a Dollar General store. 

Police said the suspect - who also shot himself - had several manifestos that contained racist beliefs. 

The shooting also happened on the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. 

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said the date of the shooting is not a coincidence and this was a "hate-filled" attack.

“A portion of these manifestos describe the shooters’ disgusting ideology of hate,” he said. 

“Plainly put, this shooting was racially motivated, and this man hated black people.” 

Residents gather for a prayer near the scene of a mass shooting at a Dollar General store, 26/08/2023. Image: AP Photo/John Raoux

Local residents gathered for a prayer near the scene of the shooting later in the day. 

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said she was “heartbroken” by the shooting. 

“You can see the swastikas on the gun,” she said. 

“We must do everything we can to dissuade this type of hate. 

“One shooting is too much but these mass shootings are really hard to take”