gunman who embraced racist white supremacist# ideology shot and killed three Black people## at a Dollar General store in a predominantly# Black neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida.

The victims of Saturday's# shooting include Angela Carr,## a 52-year-old Uber driver who was waiting outside# the store, Dollar General employee A who was only 19 and had recently graduated from# high school, and 29-year-old Jerrald Gallion,## a customer who'd plan to spend the rest# of the weekend with his young daughter.

Meanwhile, the city is also preparing# for the impacts of Hurricane Idalia.

Joining me now is the mayor# of Jacksonville, Donna Deegan.

Madam Mayor, welcome, and thanks for joining us.

I want to begin with your city's p tomorrow.

What can you tell us about how you're# getting ready and what you're anticipating?

DONNA DEEGAN (D), Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida:# Well, we declared a state of emergency yesterda which we will go through the storm# really tomorrow and Thursday.

And we have got our crews out preparing.

We# have opened six shelters for folks who feel## like they need a place to go during the storm.# We aren't offering -- or we aren't demanding## evacuations at this point, because we feel like,# for most folks, they will probably be OK on th homes.

But for people who feel like they're in# low-lying areas, or perhaps in mobile homes,## we have we have created shelter so that# they can go and make sure they feel safe.

Beyond that, we have just got our# emergency crews that are ready to## restore power.

We do expect to lose power in# some places.

We expect some spotty flooding,## and we're just -- we're telling# everybody at this point to please## just try to hunker down for the next# 24 hours until this thing goes by us.

It should move pretty fast, and# hoping that this is mostly just## a drill for most of us, beyond# what may be some isolated problems.

AMNA NAWAZ: We do hope you and everyone there## stays safe.

We will continue# Me anwhile, your community is still reeling# It 's only been three days.

So, I just have to# ask, how is everyone in your community doing?

DONNA DEEGAN: Well, I think everyone here# is grief-stricken.

This is something that## I would -- I would like to say as a shock.

But# we have seen a lot of gun violence in our area.

We have seen a lot of gun violence, obviously,# in the state of Florida and around the country.## And it's disheartening to see the same community# over and over again be affected by this.

I think it is -- it's a situation where folks sort of have# PTSD from everything that they have been through.

And I'm heartbroken for our community.

AMNA NAWAZ: Mayor Deegan, it's# been noted the alleged gunman this case had a 2016 domestic violence incident,## also was involuntarily committed for 72 hours# back in 2017.

He was a m He was still able to legally purchase# two AR-15-style weapons that he used## in this attack.

Should he have been able to?

DONNA DEEGAN: Well, look, I don't be I think that -- I think that it's far too easy# to get these wea why anyone really needs one.

But at the end of the# day, that is the legal situation here in Florida.## They are very easy to buy.

And this gentleman# was able to go and find one relatively easily.

And, as you know,## he had of a manifesto that he gu ns, and he took the lives of three precious# people here in our community.

And I think it's## so unfortunate that folks like him can buy guns# that easily, especially given his background.

AMNA NAWAZ: As you saw and we have reported,## Governor DeSantis attended a vigil on And I want to point you towards# a line from an opinion piece that## appeared in The Florida Times-Union,# where columnist Na laid the blame of that shooting# on leaders like Mr. DeSantis.

This is what he wrote -- quote -- "Wars# on woke and villainizing equity and inclusion and peddling the fictitious# chivalry of the nation's slaveholding founders,## it is catnip for awful people with awful ideas."

Mayor Deegan, do you agree with that?# Those policies, does that language,## those contribute to these kinds of attacks?

DONNA DEEGAN: Look, I ran for this off divisive rhetoric, we needed to stop# having a them-versus-us mentality.

And I believe that divisive rhetoric,# I believe that policies that divide,## I believe that -- saying that# slavery may have been beneficial,## things like that do not help to# bring our community together.

Now, I have to say that I am glad that Governor# DeSantis was here for that vi also.

And I think that it is -- if we are# ever going to have unity in our community,## in our state or in our nation, we have# to begin communicating with each other.

And at least, because he was here,# he saw that pain.

And I hope,## in some way, that it may have affected him.

AMNA NAWAZ: It's about bringing your# community to also say it's about making sure they feel safe.

For Black residents, specifically, as you# know days about the long history of violence# against Black residents in Florida and## Jacksonville, in particular, over America's# history, like a number of Southern cities.

You have had a fight in your city# about removing Confederate statues.## There were Nazis hanging flags over# highways last year.

What do you say## to Black residents of Jacksonville# who do not feel safe right now?

DONNA DEEGAN: Well, I have said# to those residents for a long,## long time that I believe that# those monuments should go.

My previous -- the previous mayor to# me had asked that they come down.

He## removed one of those monuments.

He was not# able to remove the other one.

At least,## by the time he left office, that had not# happened.

And so we continue to believe that## is something that should happen and those# monuments to white supremacy should go.

And that is certainly something that# I am focused on in my administration.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is the mayor of# Jacksonville, Florida, Donna Deegan.

Madam Mayor, we are thinking of everyone# in your community after the shooting and hoping everyone stays safe in the path of# this hurricane.

Thank you for DONNA DEEGAN: Thank you so much.