According to a friend of the California store owner who was fatally shot last Friday, the anti-LGBT gunman “flinched back” before firing his gun, killing Laura Carleton.
The friend remained anonymous when speaking to the Los Angeles Times, but confirmed they had seen surveillance footage of the shooting.
Carleton, 66, was murdered last week at her small fashion boutique in Cedar Glen, near Lake Arrowhead, by Travis Ikeguchi, 27, who made several homophobic remarks and knocked down a Pride flag she had displayed.
Ikeguchi, the son of a decorated police officer, was shortly after killed by a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office deputy after attempting to flee on foot.
Describing the surveillance footage, Carleton’s friend told the Times, “He then almost flinched as if he thought twice, but then went for it, took the gun, aimed it and shot Lauri.” That made her fall back to the floor, and the door swung shut, and he fired one shot through the door, then left.”
Laura Ann Carleton, 66, was murdered last week in her small fashion boutique in Cedar Glen, near Lake Arrowhead, by Travis Ikeguchi, 27
The friend also said that Carleton was holding a phone when she was shot and never left her store.
During an appearance on Anderson Cooper 360, one of Carleton’s daughters — Ari Carleton, 27 — said they delivered a new Pride flag to their house hours after her mother’s death.
Laura had ordered a new one for her shop, because the old one was fading.
“When we came home after the incident on Friday evening, there was a package on the doorstep and a new flag. And she told my dad she ordered it because the one that had hung had naturally discolored from the sun,” Ari Carleton said.
“I’m sorry, the new flag arrived and was on your doorstep when you came home after your mother was killed?” Cooper asked.
Ikeguchi allegedly made several homophobic comments to her and brought down a Pride flag on display
Carleton said yes, to which Cooper replied, “I can’t imagine what it was like to even see that.”
“It was hard and emotional, but I mean even the store now, and she has another store in LA, so many supporters and people who have been part of our community have started putting up their own flags and rainbow flowers and so many things to say to her. honor,” said the young woman.
Ari described her mother as “selfless, kind and compassionate,” adding that during the winter when a severe storm hit the area, her mother and father distributed free food and supplies to local residents in need.
“I know she passed a cause she believed in,” she told Cooper.
The store, which opened just over a decade ago in the quaint alpine village, was one of two trendy clothing stores operated by Carleton — the other was located on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles’ Studio City.
Laura Ann Carleton, 66, was murdered outside her fashion store in Cedar Glen, near Lake Arrowhead, after Travis Ikeguchi, 27, allegedly made several homophobic comments to her
Carleton was shot in front of her fashion boutique Lake Arrowhead
In a social media post, Ari and her twin sister wrote about their mother, “She was killed because of a Pride flag she proudly hung on her shop.
“Make no mistake, this was a hate crime. Her flags had been broken before and she always responded by putting up a bigger one.
Our family is broken. We have a long road ahead as we navigate this new reality without our loving matriarch.
“We find peace in knowing that she passed quickly to a place she cherished, where she did what she loved, while fiercely defending what she believed in. She was fearless, cool and compassionate and always put others first.
“We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support our family has received from loved ones and strangers alike; it has given us hope and light in our darkest days. Love will always conquer hate.’
Her husband Bort, a shoe designer, had seven children before marrying Carleton, and the couple subsequently adopted twins.
Carleton, a long-time LGBTQ+ advocate, shared an image of “PRIDE’s booklet” in 2021, with the caption “Love IS Love.”
Locals have described Carleton as a “pillar in the community” who was an “unwavering force in her values of equality, love and justice.”
Carleton had previously been targeted several times because of the Pride flags she displayed.
On the social media site GAB, Ikeguchi went on a rampage against the LGBTQ and posted a photo of a burning Pride flag
Ikeguchi’s GAB page — a blogging site often known for its right-wing users — was filled with references to religion, anti-democracy, anti-police, and self-defense references
Police say Ikeguchi, from Cedar Glen, brought down the flag and had a confrontation with Carleton before following her into the store and shooting her to death.
At the time of the incident, he had several posts against the LGBTQ+ community on his social media.
One post pinned to the top of an account featured an image of a Pride flag on fire.
“We must stop compromising on this LGBT dictatorship and not allow them to take over our lives! Stop accepting this horror of the government forcing us to submit to these mentally deranged tyrants,” he wrote.
The gun allegedly used in the shooting was not in Ikeguchi’s name and, according to the sheriff, was not a concealed gun holder.
His family had reported him missing a day before the shooting, and he was not on authorities’ radar before the incident.
According to public records, his father, David Ikeguchi, 63, is a veteran state trooper with 35 years of experience with the Florida Highway Patrol, headquartered in Orlando.
He received the department’s Silver Star award in 2020 after pulling a driver from a burning vehicle in Lake County off duty.