California store owner, mother of 9, fatally shot over a Pride flag displayed in her shop

A business owner was fatally shot Friday after someone allegedly took issue with a Pride flag she had displayed at her clothing store in Lake Arrowhead, California.

A business owner was fatally shot Friday after someone allegedly took issue with a Pride flag she had displayed at her clothing store in Lake Arrowhead, California.

Deputies responded at 5 p.m. to the shooting at the Mag Pi clothing store, where owner Laura Ann Carleton was pronounced dead, the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department said in a news release. The suspect, who was not identified, ran away.

“Through further investigation, detectives learned the suspect made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton,” the news release said.

The suspect was armed when confronted by deputies and was killed in "a lethal force encounter," the sheriff’s department said. An investigation continues.

The Mag Pi store website described Carleton as a mother of nine who has been "married to the same man for 28 years." Carleton, who went by the name Lauri, had studied at the Art Center School of Design and had had a long career in fashion, including 15 years as an executive at Kenneth Cole, the site said.