Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the name of a school.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has identified the man accused of fatally shooting a clothing store owner in Cedar Glen for allegedly flying a Pride flag at the business.
Officials say Travis Ikeguchi, 27, a Cedar Glen resident, shot and killed 66-year-old Laura Ann Carleton Friday night at her business, Mag.Pi.
After the shooting, authorities say Ikeguchi fled the scene on foot but was shot and killed by deputies following a confrontation.
He was carrying an unregistered 9mm Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun but had no personal identification, the Sheriff’s Department said.
The motive for the killing is believed to be linked to Carleton flying a Pride flag outside of her business, officials said. Ikeguchi is alleged to have made “several disparaging remarks” about the flag before shooting Carleton.
“Prior to the shooting, Ikeguchi tore down a Pride or rainbow flag that was hanging in front of the Mag.Pi store and yelled many homophobic slurs toward Carleton,” Sheriff Shannon Dicus said.
Ari Carleton, one of Laura’s children, described her as “fearless” and a “fierce ally” of the LGBTQ community, telling the Los Angeles Times, “We have plenty of members of the community in our family and our close friend groups. So it was just important to her. Because those are people that I was raised around and always loved.”
Carleton was a longtime fashion contributor, curator and entrepreneur, according to her store’s website.
She got her start in the industry working for Fred Segal Feet in Los Angeles while she attended the ArtCenter College of Design. A second Mag.Pi location can be found in Studio City.
“Mag.Pi for Lauri is all about tackling everyday life with grace and ease and continuing to dream,” her online biography reads.
The Sheriff’s Department is continuing its investigation into Carleton’s killing, including working with law enforcement partners to track down additional information about the unregistered murder weapon.
Anyone with information about the investigation is urged to call the SBSD’s Homicide Detail at 909-890-4904. Anonymous tips can be submitted online or by calling the WeTip Hotline at 1-800-782-7463.
No law enforcement personnel were hurt during the confrontation with Ikeguchi.
