Director Paul Feig Speaks Out After Friend Laura Carleton Was Fatally Shot For Displaying Pride Flag At Her Store

Paul Feig is mourning the loss of a beloved friend.

As we previously reported, 66-year-old shop owner and mom of nine Laura Ann Carleton was shot and killed by a man who confronted her about hanging a Pride flag outside her store. Police responded to a call about a shooting at a shop called Mag Pi in Lake Arrowhead at around 5 p.m. on Friday. When law enforcement arrived at the scene, they found Laura suffering from a gunshot wound. She was sadly pronounced dead by paramedics.

The suspect, who has yet to be identified, fled the area on foot and was later found a mile from the clothing store. While deputies confronted the person, a “lethal force encounter occurred,” and the man was pronounced dead. During the investigation into the incident, investigators learned that the suspect “made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton.” So, so awful. It’s unknown if this situation will be investigated as a hate crime moving forward, but San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe called what happened a “senseless act of hate and violence” on Instagram Saturday.

Following the horrific news, Paul took to Instagram to express his heartbreak over losing his “wonderful friend” Laura. The 60-year-old Bridesmaids director wrote:

“Our wonderful friend Lauri Carlton (seen in this picture) was murdered yesterday in her store @magpi_shop in Lake Arrowhead by a 27 year old man who didn’t like that she had a large pride flag hanging outside of her shop. He ripped it down and when she confronted him about it he shot and killed her.”

He went on to say how this kind of “intolerance has to end” now:

“We are all devastated for her husband Bort and her family and the LGBTQ+ community, for whom Lauri was such a true ally. Her alleged murderer was later shot and killed by the San Bernardino police and so no longer poses a threat to the community. But this intolerance has to end. Anyone using hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community has to realize their words matter, that their words can inspire violence against innocent loving people. Let’s all keep moving forward with tolerance and love. Let’s not let Lauri’s tragic death be in vain.”

Well said. Enough is enough already with these terrible acts of hate and violence. You can see Paul’s entire post (below):

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A post shared by Paul Feig (@paulfeig)

The filmmaker also added on X (Twitter):

“Lauri Carleton was my friend. She was a wonderful person who did so much for the LGBTQ+ community as well as the community at large. What happened to her is an absolute tragedy. If people don’t think anti-gay & trans rhetoric isn’t dangerous, think again.”

We’re are beyond heartbroken over this tragedy. We continue to send love and light to all of Laura’s friends and family.

To learn more about how you can help the LGBTQ+ community, check out https://www.glaad.org/.

[Image via Paul Fieg/Instagram, KTLA 5/YouTube]