'Disgusting hate:' California shop owner killed over Pride flag

Tributes and outrage are pouring in for a Southern California shop owner who was shot and killed over a Pride flag on display outside her store, with Gov. Gavin Newsom calling the shooting "absolutely horrific."

Deputies responding to a call about a shooting at the Mag.Pi shop in Cedar Glen on Friday evening found that 66-year-old Lauri Carleton had been shot, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Carleton was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies soon after found the suspect, who had fled on foot and was still armed, police say. When deputies tried to make contact with him, they fatally shot him.

The sheriff's office did not say whether the man pointed his gun at them or what else led up to the shooting.

Investigators later determined that the suspect, whose name was not released, had made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag on display outside the store.

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Community mourns

Mountain Provisions, a local food cooperative, honored Carleton in a Facebook post, calling her a “dear friend, mom to many, ally, organizer, entrepreneur, founding member and soul of our co-op.”

"If you knew Lauri you know she loved hard, laughed often, and nurtured and protected those she cared about," the post said. "She was a force, she loved to crack jokes and wanted to live as joyful of a life as possible."

The group said that Carleton and her husband organized the co-op, which offered free food and supplies for four months after a blizzard swept through the area.

“Lauri put her whole heart into keeping it going as long as we could,” the group said.

The group urged people to "pay an act of kindness forward in her honor" and encouraged people to fly Pride flags in her honor.

"Love will prevail," the post said. "We will continue to stand for the values she so selflessly stood for. Her death will not be in vain.”

No place for hate

California Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed his outrage over the shooting on X, formerly Twitter.

"This is absolutely horrific," he wrote. "This disgusting hate has no place in CA."

Hollywood Director Paul Feig ("Bridesmaids," "The Heat," "Spy") posted on X that Carleton was a friend.

She was a wonderful person who did so much for the LGBTQ+ community as well as the community at large," he wrote. "What happened to her is an absolute tragedy. If people don’t think anti-gay & trans rhetoric isn’t dangerous, think again."

Social media users also commented about Carleton's death, with one Facebook user posting that the killing is "unfathomable."

"I've shopped at this beautiful store and have eaten in the diner next door a few times when visiting Lake Arrowhead, always friendly and welcoming .. such a sad senseless act."

Another person who lives in "a conservative part of Texas" said Carleton's willingness to fly a Pride flag inspired them to do the same despite initial fears.

"I’ve always been afraid to fly a Pride flag as I am in a conservative part of Texas, but I’m going to for Lauri," the Facebook user wrote.

"The fact that this happened to such a beautiful human being for NOTHING, my brain cannot process it," the user posted. "As the B in LGBT, thank you Lauri. I know you were a million other things in life besides an ally and you didn’t know this was how it was going to go, but I hope you can see all the lives you’ve touched."

Growing memorial

Carleton began her career in the fashion industry in her early teenage years, according to her website. She worked at her family’s business, Fred Segal Feet, in Los Angeles and went to the Art Center School of Design. She eventually worked for Kenneth Cole and stayed for over 15 years as an executive, working with designers in Italy and Spain and traveling more than 200 days a year.

"With a penchant for longevity, she has been married to the same man for 28 years and is the mother of a blended family of nine children, the youngest being identical twin girls," the website says, adding that the couple's many travels have taught them "to drink in and appreciate the beauty, style and brilliance of life."

"Mag.Pi for Lauri is all about tackling everyday life with grace and ease and continuing to dream," the site says.

Outside Carleton's store, community members have been leaving dozens of bouquets of flowers and Pride flags. A shop sign outside the memorial reads: "Peace begins with a smile."

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