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Travis Ikeguchi had been spewing anti-LGBT+ content on social media for quite some time. Behind his keyboard, the 27-year-old California man was posting images of burning Pride flags and lashing out at the LGBT+ community as well as law enforcement. Then, he came out from behind his online persona and murdered a mother-of-nine fashion entrepreneur over the Pride flag she had dared to hang outside her own store, according to authorities. On Friday, Ikeguchi went to the Mag.Pi store on Hook Creek Road owned by Laura “Lauri” Ann Carleton, according to police in San Bernardino. He confronted her about the rainbow flag, tearing it down while screaming homophobic slurs at her. Then he pulled out a gun, shooting the 66-year-old. Officers arrived on the scene to find Carleton suffering a single gunshot wound before she died in the street. By this time, Ikeguchi had fled the scene before he was tracked down by police. A standoff ensued and he opened fire on the officers before he was shot and killed by law enforcement. Carleton’s senseless murder has since led to an outpouring of grief and anger from her children and family members, Hollywood stars and the LGBT+ community members who have warned that her killing is a marker of the anti-LGBT+ hate currently being spread across the US. Now, officials have confirmed the killer’s history of anti-LGBT+ comments on social media. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said that Ikeguchi – from Cedar Glen, California – had made many posts online that were critical of the LGBT+ community and law enforcement. Public information officer Mara Rodriguez said that the posts were made on multiple different social media platforms, including X, formerly known as Twitter, and the far-right platform Gab. “The content of Ikeguchi’s social media posts contained posts critical to the LGBTQIA community,” said the officer. Accounts on X and Gab under Ikeguchi’s name, reviewed by The Independent, appear to match the hateful posts referred to by authorities. In one post, dated 13 June and pinned to the top of the X account, Ikeguchi appeared to post an image of a burning rainbow flag. “What to do with the LGBTQP flag?” the chilling post was captioned. In another post on 28 June, the user took aim at same-sex marriage and abortion. “Abortion and same-sex marriage are both immoral and are design to destroy humanity one by one,” the tweet read. “So if someone is pro-abortion and pro-LGBTQP, they are at war against the foundation of family values. –Travis Ikeguchi 6/23/2023 6:39am.” In a post the same day, he revealed a deep-rooted paranoia for law enforcement. “Do not follow their traps they want to know everything about you to catch you and used against you in court and lie about you. Watch out their sociopathic schemes,” the post read. Over on Gab – the site popular with extreme right-wing figures – the account believed to belong to Ikeguchi regularly shared anti-LGBT+ and anti-law enforcement rhetoric. One harrowing post shared on Friday – the day of Carleton’s murder – read: “America must repent for a lot of things we allow; abortion/baby killing, sexual immortality, pornography, same-sex marriages, LGBTQP/pedophilia, freemasonry, religiosity, politics, wars, colonialism, the federal reserve.” The anti-LGBT+ content went back as far as two years, with a 2021 post reading: “We need to STOP COMPROMISING on this LGBT dictatorship and not let them take over our lives!” In another violent post also from 2021, the user spoke of killing police officers. “I know it’s controversial for me to mention the option to kill a police officer, but these police officers are not the servants for the people they are the servants for the laws,” the post read. The Independent has reached out to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for comment on the accounts. A sheriff’s spokesperson told NBC News that Carleton’s murder is now being investigated as a hate crime. The Californian community has been left reeling from the mother-of-nine’s murder, which comes at a time of increased anti-LGBT+ right-wing rhetoric. Friends have said that Carleton had been faced with people ripping down the Pride flag hanging outside her Cedar Glen clothing store ever since she opened the store two years ago. But, the well-known LGBT+ ally refused to be undeterred, and would simply get a new flag and hang it right back up. Never did anyone expect that her bravery in the face of hate would end with her brutal murder. Her daughters Ari and Kelsey released a statement on Instagram saying that their mother, who was married to husband Bort for 28 years, was “murdered over a pride flag that she proudly hung on her storefront”. They remembered her as a “fearless, cool and compassionate” human being. “Make no mistake, this was a hate crime,” they wrote. “We find peace in knowing she passed quickly in a place she cherished, doing what she loved while fiercely defending something she believed in. She was fearless, cool and compassionate – always putting others first,” the post read. “We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support that our family has received from loved ones and strangers alike, it has provided hope and light in our darkest days. We will continue to advocate for love, equality and acceptance in everything that we do. Love will always triumph over hate.” Many other friends and Hollywood celebs echoed their sentiments. Hollywood Director Paul Feig, whose works include Bridesmaids and The Heat, posted a tribute on Sunday in memory of his very close “wonderful friend”. “We are all devastated for her husband Bort and her family and the LGBTQ+ community, for whom Lauri was such a true ally,” he wrote. “This intolerance has to end. Anyone using hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community has to realize their words matter, that their words can inspire violence against innocent loving people. “Let’s all keep moving forward with tolerance and love. Let’s not let Lauri’s tragic death be in vain.” Sex and the City actress Kristin Davis, Star Trek actor George Takei and Jamie Lee Curtis also echoed these words. Meanwhile, outside the store where she was killed, loved ones, allies and community members showed their own defiance in the face of hate. As well as flowers, cards and photos of the popular store owner and mother-of-nine, multiple rainbow flags are now proudly on display. Read More Laura Carleton shooting – latest: Travis Ikeguchi named as gunman who killed mother-of-nine over Pride flag A murder over a Pride flag is sadly no surprise to anyone paying attention When people ripped her store’s Pride flag, Laura Carleton hung up another. This time it ended with her murder

Nikki Haley is once again pressing Washington’s greying political establishment to step aside after a pair of concerning moments involving two of the Senate’s oldest members grabbed headlines in recent days. The former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador spoke to CBS’s Margaret Brennan in an interview that aired on Sunday; she is currently campaigning in early primary states as she seeks the GOP nomination for president. A central tenet of her campaign’s message since its onset has been a call for a new generation of leaders to take the helm in both parties. As such, Brennan asked her about the moment that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell froze and appeared unable to speak at a press conference on Wednesday, after which he was led away by a colleauge. It was later revealed that the Senate GOP leader had suffered an undisclosed fall earlier in July while still recovering from a concussion suffered in the spring. “I think Mitch McConnell did an amazing job when it comes to our judiciary. When we look at the judges, when we look at the Supreme Court, he's been a great leader. But I do think that this is one – you know, we've got to stop electing people because they look good in the picture or they hold a baby well,” she told CBS News. “We've got to stop electing people because we like them and they've been there a long time. That's actually the problem. You need to have term limits, because we need new ideas, new solutions. We've got to have a new generation.” Ms Haley added when pressed by Brennan on whether she had confidence in Mr McConnell remaining leader of the Senate Republican caucus: “What I am saying about Mitch McConnell, Dianne Feinstein, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, all of them: know when to walk away, know when to walk away. We have huge issues that need new solutions. We need new generational leaders. We appreciate your service. We appreciate what you've done. But this is why we will fight for term limits. We've got to get it done in America.” Her remark naming Senator Feinstein was an apparent reference to another moment that drew the attention of reporers this past week when the senior senator from California appeared confused during a committee hearing and launched into a speech calling for a vote which was already in progress. And persistent concerns about Joe Biden’s age have followed him doggedly throughout his first term. The 80-year-old Mr Biden was already the oldest US president to be sworn into office in 2021, and is now facing some calls from progressives and others concerned about criticisms focused on his mental acuity to step aside and allow a younger politician to be the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer. Ms Pelosi’s inclusion on the list is only notable given that she is the sole named party leader to have already given up her leadership position, willingly, earlier this year. The 83-year-old California congresswoman handed over command of the Democratic caucus to Hakeem Jeffries at the beginning of the year while Republicans struggled to annoint their own leader in a chaotic speakership election. Ms Haley was less certain in her interview with CBS whether Donald Trump, 77, would be included in her call for ageing politicians to step aside. But she maintained that he should take a mental acuity test, as she argues all presidential contenders should. And she relented after pressing from Brennan that Mr Trump was “of course” not who she had in mind when she made her call for leaders with new ideas, age notwithstanding. “I just said we need a new generational leader,” she noted. “I mean, that goes ... for all of them. You can look across DC ... Of course, I'm talking about Trump. I've said that all throughout this campaign that it is time for us to have a new generation. We've lost – Republicans have lost the last seven out of eight popular votes for president. That's nothing to be proud of, we should want to win the majority of Americans, we've got to start going with a new generation so that we can do that. “ Read More Mitch McConnell vows to serve out full Senate term following questions over his health Sen Dianne Feinstein appears confused and is instructed to vote ‘aye’ by fellow senator at meeting Mitch McConnell leaves press conference abruptly after appearing unable to speak Joe Biden, America's oldest sitting president, needs young voters to win again. Will his age matter? Trump, amid legal perils, calls on GOP to rally around him as he threatens primary challenges Biden acknowledges Hunter’s daughter Navy in public for first time

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