Laura Carleton shooting – latest: Mag.Pi store owner and ‘true LGBTQ ally’ killed in row over Pride flag
Tributes are pouring in for a “beloved” California business owner who was shot dead by a man who complained about a Pride flag hanging at her store.
The unnamed individual killed Laura Ann Carleton, 66, at her business Mag Pi clothing store after making “several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store," the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies responded to the incident around 5pm on Friday following reports of shots being fired. The mother of nine children was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The shooter fled the scene on foot but was later located by authorities near Torrey Road and Rause Rancho Road. The suspect, who has not been identified, was killed during “a lethal force encounter” with police.
Hollywood director Paul Feig, whose works include Bridesmaids and The Heat, posted a tribute saying that Carleton, who he called his “wonderful friend,” had been killed by a young man.
The Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+ described her as a “remarkable figure”, whose "unwavering support" for the community and “dedication to creating a safe and inclusive space within her shop touched the lives of many”.
Key Points
Woman, 66, shot dead following argument over Pride flag at her store
Unnamed suspect shot dead by police
Hollywood director Paul Feig remembers ‘wonderful friend’ Laura Carleton
Hollywood reacts to shooting of Laura Carleton
‘This is our country now'
15:30 , Bevan Hurley
Writer Alok Vaid-Menon has paid tribute to Laura Carleton, who authorities say was shot dead during an argument about a Pride flag hanging outside her California clothing store.
“I feel deeply saddened by this,” they wrote in an Instagram post.
“This is our country now and we can’t look away. Rest in peace Laura Ann Carleton, a mother of nine. Thank you for your allyship. Thank you for your love. I’ll never forget you.”
California store owner shot dead after argument about Pride flag
15:00 , Bevan Hurley
A California business owner and a “true ally” was shot to death by a suspect who complained about an LGBTQ flag hanging at the store.
The unnamed individual killed 66-year-old Laura Ann Carleton at her business Mag Pi clothing store after making “several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store”, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies responded to the incident around 5pm on Friday following reports of shots being fired. Carleton was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Andrea Blanco reports.
California store owner shot dead over Pride flag outside her shop
Protest against killing of LGBTQ ally Laura Carleton
14:30 , Bevan Hurley
Diane Anderson-Minshall, author and editor-in-chief of Go Magazine, called on the “rational world” to view the “extreme right hysteria” against the LGBTQ+ community following the death of Laura Carleton, who was a cisgender ally.
“Yesterday, I read the headline, ‘shop owner killed over rainbow flag’ and shook my head. Today, I realized that it was Laura, who I knew back when she was with Calvin Klein, and it was in liberal California,” she wrote on Facebook.
“The world of LGBTQ people and our allies sometimes feels very small in that at least for me we often know each other in some capacity. Laura, like all victims, should not just be another headline we ignore.
“The fact that even presumably straight cisgender allies are killed for supporting LGBTQ people and cisgender people are being killed as they’ve been mistaken as being trans, I have to hope that the rational world begins to see this eradication campaign and extreme right hysteria for what it is before it’s too late.”
Hollywood reacts to shooting of Laura Carleton
14:00 , Rachel Sharp
Many Hollywood stars have reacted to the deadly shooting of Laura Carleton.
Paul Feig paid tribute to his “wonderful friend” on social media after she was killed by an unnamed gunman over the weekend.
Several of his celebrity friends also reacted to her killing in the comments under his post.
Hollywood star Charlize Theron said Carleton’s death was “heartbreaking”, while The Office star Kate Flannery wrote: “Paul! I’m so sorry for your loss. And I’m sorry for the state of the world.”
“Truly heartbreaking,” wrote One Tree Hill star Sophia Bush. US actor Timothy Omundson wrote: “It is so horrific that an expression of love and support for a marginalised community, should lead to such radicalized hatred and violence every shop in Arrowhead village should hang a pride flag to honor this brave wife and mother.”
Broad City star calls Laura Ann Carleton’s death ‘devastating and infuriating'
13:30 , Rachel Sharp
Broad City star Abbi Jacobson has called the shooting of Laura Ann Carleton “devastating and infuriating” as the community reacts to her death.
Carleton was killed after a gunman took issue with a large LGBT+ Pride flag that was hanging outside her shop, according to police.
Several members of the California community have paid tribute to Carleton and condemned her senseless killing.
Comedian Ms Jacobson commented on an Instagram post left by comedian Bridget Everet.
“This is devastating and infuriating,” wrote Ms Jacobson.
Rise in anti-LGBT+ hate crime across US
12:59 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
There has been a steep rise in anti-LGBT+ hate crimes across the United States, according to a report released by advocacy group GLAAD and the Anti-Defamation League.
At least 145 incidents of anti-LGBT+ hate and extremism nationwide were recorded during Pride month this year alone, including the murder of a woman at a gas station in Texas by a stranger who had allegedly shouted anti-gay slurs, the report highlighted.
A Community Unitarian Universalist Church in Texas was set on fire just weeks after it was reportedly featured in an anti-LGBT+ video.
In November 2022, an Oklahoma donut shop was firebombed after the business hosted an art show featuring drag queens.
Comedian Bridget Everett reacts to Lauri Carleton’s murder: ‘For what?'
12:30 , Rachel Sharp
Comedian Bridget Everett took to Instagram to condemn Lauri Carleton’s murder.
“Lauri Carleton was shot and killed at her Lake Arrowhead store this weekend. Someone tore down the Pride flag she flew outside of her store, Magpi,” she wrote.
“She confronted him and he shot her. In the past, when someone took down her flag or vandalized it, she’d put up another one. The last time I saw Lauri was, oddly enough, at Lake Arrowhead pride both in the parade and then at a party.
“All that anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has a price. And now, Lauri’s husband Bort, her daughters, friends and community are devastated. And for what?”
‘This intolerance has to end’: Paul Feig grieves for ‘wonderful friend’ shot dead in row over Pride flag
12:00 , Rachel Sharp
Paul Feig has shared a message after a friend of his was shot dead ouside her clothing shop in Cedar Glen, California.
Laura Ann Carleton, 66, who was married with nine children, was killed after the gunman reportedly took issue with a large LGBT+ Pride flag that was hanging outside her shop, according to police.
The alleged shooter, a 27-year-old man, was subsequently shot dead by law enforcement.
Read the full story:
Paul Feig grieves for ‘wonderful friend’ shot dead in row over Pride flag
‘Pride flag removed numerous times by different people’, says daughter
11:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
One of Laura Carleton’s daughters described her as a “fearless” person who put the needs of others ahead of her own.
Carleton had been a pillar in the community, said 28-year-old Ari Carleton, according to the New York Times.
The mother-of-nine converted her shop into a relief centre when a rare blizzard struck the area this year, the daughter said.
“She opened up a free shop where she and my dad just gave out supplies to those in need who had been impacted by the storms,” she said, adding: “That really sums up who she was as a person.”
The Pride flag hanging outside Carleton’s Mag.Pi store was removed numerous times by different people since the business opened two years ago, Ari Carleton said.
Carleton was an ‘ally through and through’
10:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Democratic congressional candidate Derek Marshall said Laura Carleton was a huge supporter of the LGBT+ community and a “class act”, according to the Los Angeles Times.
He said people within the community described Carleton as “kind” and almost like a “second mom” to them. “She was very proud of flying the Pride flag.”
Los Angeles councilperson Nithya Raman expressed shock at her killing, saying she was “devastated” over the “violent attack against Studio City resident and beloved small business owner Lauri Carleton”.
“She was an ally through and through, proudly living by her values,” Ms Raman said in a statement.
“From uplifting the LGBTQIA+ community, to championing ethical fashion practices, from fundraising for the Women’s March Foundation, to supporting survivors of sexual assault, Lauri lived her life unapologetically advocating for a better, more accepting world.”
Protest against killing of LGBTQ ally Laura Carleton
08:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Diane Anderson-Minshall, author and editor-in-chief of Go Magazine, called on the “rational world” to view the “extreme right hysteria” against the LGBTQ+ community following the death of Laura Carleton, who was a cisgender ally.
“Yesterday, I read the headline, ‘shop owner killed over rainbow flag’ and shook my head. Today, I realized that it was Laura, who I knew back when she was with Calvin Klein, and it was in liberal California,” she wrote on Facebook.
“The world of LGBTQ people and our allies sometimes feels very small in that at least for me we often know each other in some capacity. Laura, like all victims, should not just be another headline we ignore.
“The fact that even presumably straight cisgender allies are killed for supporting LGBTQ people and cisgender people are being killed as they’ve been mistaken as being trans, I have to hope that the rational world begins to see this eradication campaign and extreme right hysteria for what it is before it’s too late.”
‘Carleton was murdered defending her LGBTQ+ Pride flags’, says Lake Arrowhead community
07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+ community said that Carleton didn’t identify as a member of the community but was defending the Pride flags placed in front her shop on Friday.
“Lauri’s unwavering support for the LGBTQ+ community and her dedication to creating a safe and inclusive space within her shop touched the lives of many,” the group said in a statement.
“Her untimely passing in a senseless act of violence has left us all deeply saddened.”
Carleton life was full of fashion and travel
06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Laura Carleton began her career in fashion when she was just a teenager, according to her business website.
She joined Kenneth Cole almost from its inception and remained there for over 15 years as an executive and spent most of her days traveling with design teams in Italy and Spain.
She traveled with her husband across the US, Europe and South America, which fueled her love for design, fashion, food, fine art and architecture among other things.
05:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Friends, colleagues and community members paid tribute to Laura Ann Carleton over the weekend and mourned the loss of a "remarkable person".
They brought flowers, flags and banners to the Lake Arrowhead store to honour her life.
Director remembers ‘wonderful friend’ Laura Carleton
05:07 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Hollywood director Paul Feig, whose works include Bridesmaids and The Heat, posted a tribute yesterday, saying that Laura Ann Carleton, who he called his “wonderful friend”, had been killed by a young man.
“He ripped it [Pride flag] down and when she confronted him about it he shot and killed her,” he wrote on Instagram.“We are all devastated for her husband Bort and her family and the LGBTQ+ community, for whom Lauri was such a true ally.”
He added that the “intolerance has to end” and anyone using “hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community has to realise their words matter, that their words can inspire violence against innocent loving people”.
Suspect shot dead by police
04:53 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The shooter fled the scene on foot but was later located by authorities near Torrey Road and Rause Rancho Road.
The armed suspect, who has not been identified, was killed during “a lethal force encounter” with police.
The man died at the scene and deputies did not sustain any injuries, the police added.
“Through further investigation, detectives learned the suspect made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton,” the authorities said, without clarifying if the incident would be investigated as a possible hate crime.
Carleton is survived by her husband and their nine children.
California store owner shot dead after argument about Pride flag
04:45 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
A California business owner and a "true ally" was shot to death by a suspect who complained about an LGBTQ flag hanging at the store.
The unnamed individual killed 66-year-old Laura Ann Carleton at her business Mag Pi clothing store after making “several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store", the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies responded to the incident around 5pm on Friday following reports of shots being fired. Carleton was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Andrea Blanco reports.
California store owner shot dead over Pride flag outside her shop
04:22 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live blog on the developments following the shooting of a California business owner in an alleged hate crime.
