Accused shooter in woman’s slaying over Pride flag identified, California cops say
A man killed by police after he fatally shot a 66-year-old woman over her store’s Pride flag has been identified, California officials reported.
Travis Ikeguchi, 27, of Cedar Glen died in a “lethal force encounter” with deputies following the slaying on Friday, Aug. 18, a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office news release said.
Ikeguchi had no identification and investigators had a difficult time identifying him, the release said. He was carrying an unregistered 9mm handgun.
Little was known about Ikeguchi, but The Independent reported he had a history of anti-LGBTQ posts on Twitter, now rebranded as X, and other social media sites.
Deputies responded to a reported shooting at the Mag.Pi clothing store in Cedar Glen near Lake Arrowhead at 5 p.m. Aug. 18, McClatchy News reported.
They found store owner Lauri Carleton, 66, of Cedar Glen dead at the scene, according to deputies and a statement San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe gave to KCAL.
Investigators learned a man “made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton,” officials said.
Armed with a handgun, the man, now identified by authorities as Ikeguchi, ran from the store and deputies found him nearby, the news release said.
Sheriff’s officials said he opened fire on deputies, who fatally shot him, ABC News reported. Ikeguchi’s family had reported him missing a day earlier.
Carleton did not identify as LGBTQ+ but “spent her time helping & advocating for everyone in the community,” Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+, who referred to her as Lauri, said on Instagram.
“She will be truly missed,” the post said.
Carleton had been married for 28 years and had nine children, the Los Angeles Blade reported.
“Everyone deserves to live free of hate and discrimination and practice their constitutional right of freedom of speech. Lauri was a remarkable member of the community and I send my deepest condolences to her family in this time of grief,” Rowe said in a statement to the publication.
“This disgusting hate has no place in CA,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a post on X. He called the shooting “absolutely horrific.”
“In the past, when someone took down her flag or vandalized it, she’d put up another one,” actress Bridget Everett of the HBO Max series “Somebody Somewhere,” who knew Carleton, wrote on Instagram.
“All that anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has a price,” she wrote. “And now, Lauri’s husband Bort, her daughters, friends and community are devastated. And for what?”
Investigators ask anyone with information to call 909-890-4904 or leave an anonymous tip at 1-800-782-7463.
Cedar Glen and Lake Arrowhead are about 90 miles east of Los Angeles.
This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 9:17 AM with the headline "Accused shooter in woman’s slaying over Pride flag identified, California cops say."