On Friday, a business owner in Lake Arrowhead, California, was tragically shot because someone allegedly took issue with a Pride banner she had hung at her clothes store.
Deputies rushed to the Mag Pi apparel business at 5:00 p.m., where owner Laura Ann Carleton was declared dead at the scene, according to a news release from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department. The unidentified suspect escaped on foot from the scene.
“Through further investigation, detectives learned the suspect made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton,” the press release said.
When challenged by deputies, the suspect was armed and was slain in “a lethal force encounter,” according to the sheriff’s department. An investigation is now underway.
Carleton, according to the Mag Pi shop website, is a mother of nine and has been “married to the same man for 28 years.” According to the site, Carleton, who went by Lauri, trained at the Art Center School of Design and had a long career in design, including 15 years as an executive at Kenneth Cole.
A local grocery store, Mountain Provisions Cooperative, claimed in a Facebook post Saturday that Carleton was instrumental in organizing a free store after a blizzard devastated the area earlier this year.
“Lauri was a pillar in our community, an immovable force in her values for equality, love, and justice,” the post said. “If you knew Lauri you know she loved hard, laughed often, and nurtured and protected those she cared about.”
The store encouraged people to “fly your flags in honor of Lauri.”
Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+ said on Instagram that Carleton did not identify as a member of the queer community but was an advocate “for everyone in the community.”
“Lauri’s unwavering support for the LBGTQ+ community and her dedication to creating a safe space within her shop touched the lives of many,” the organization wrote in an Instagram story. “Her untimely passing in a senseless act of violence has left us all deeply saddened.”
Comments on the organization’s social media offered condolences to Carleton’s family and paid tribute to her contributions around the Lake Arrowhead community. Some said that the Pride flag at Mag Pi helped make them feel welcome and safe in the area.
“Bridesmaids” film director Paul Feig was among those in the comment section, saying that Carleton would be “sorely missed.”
“Lauri was such a wonderful person, so full of life and love,” Feig wrote. “She always made us laugh and always laughed with us. Her commitment to the community in general and the LGBTQ community specifically was just one of her many wonderful qualities.”
