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Two People Fatally Shot Outside High School Graduation in Richmond Two People Fatally Shot Outside High School Graduation in Richmond
(about 13 hours later)
Two people were fatally shot and several more were injured in a shooting that took place outside a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, Va., on Tuesday evening, the authorities said. Two people were fatally shot and several others were injured on Tuesday evening in a shooting outside a theater in Richmond, Va., where a high school graduation ceremony had just taken place, the authorities said.
A 19-year-old male suspect was in police custody, Rick Edwards, the acting chief of the Richmond Police Department, said at a news conference on Tuesday evening. “We think the suspect knew at least one of the victims,” he said. At a news conference on Wednesday, Rick Edwards, the acting chief of the Richmond Police Department, identified the people who were killed as Shawn Jackson, 18, and his stepfather, Renzo Smith, 36.
The shooting took place just before 5:15 p.m. outside the Altria Theater. He said officers inside the venue had heard gunshots and responded to the scene, where they had found “multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds.” A suspect, Amari Ty-Jon Pollard, 19, was arrested on Tuesday evening and was arraigned on two counts of second degree murder, according to court records. He was being held without bond on Wednesday.
The two people killed were an 18-year-old male and 36-year-old male, Chief Edwards said at the news conference. The authorities have not released the identities of the victims. Chief Edwards said the shooting was “targeted” and was related to a dispute that had been going on for more than a year. The authorities were investigating the nature of the dispute, he said.
The authorities have seized four firearms, but one of them is “unrelated” to Tuesday’s shooting, Chief Edwards said. The shooting took place just before 5:15 p.m. outside the Altria Theater. Chief Edwards said that Mr. Pollard had an “interaction” with Mr. Jackson, then went to his car and returned with a handgun.
Five others were shot and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, he said. Multiple other people, he said, had gone to local hospitals with injuries other than gunshots, including one person who was “hit by a car during the melee.” When officers inside the venue heard gunshots, they found “multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds,” the chief said at a news conference on Tuesday evening.
Matthew Stanley, a spokesman for Richmond Public Schools, confirmed that the shooting took place in Monroe Park, adjacent to the Altria Theater, immediately after a graduation ceremony for students of Huguenot High School. Another ceremony scheduled for Tuesday evening was canceled. The authorities have seized four firearms, one of which was “unrelated” to Tuesday’s shooting, he said.
Clips posted to social media appeared to show the aftermath of the shootings. In one, emergency medical workers appeared to be administering CPR to a victim. Students were still wearing their gowns and caps. Other regalia were strewn across the ground. Five others were shot and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, he said. Others, he said, had gone to hospitals with injuries other than gunshots, including one person who was “hit by a car during the melee.”
Jonathan Young, a member of the Richmond City School Board, said he and his colleagues had just finished celebrating some 300 graduating students when he heard about 20 consecutive gunshots that “prompted a mad rush sprint to get back inside the building.” Emergency medical workers and police officers were quickly at the scene, he said, adding that he had seen many people who appeared to have been injured in what he described as a “stampede.” Mr. Young said his shock quickly turned to “disgust and to anger.” Matthew Stanley, a spokesman for Richmond Public Schools, said that the shooting took place in Monroe Park, across the street from the Altria Theater, immediately after a graduation ceremony for students of Huguenot High School. Another ceremony scheduled for Tuesday evening was canceled.
A statement posted on the website for the Richmond Public Schools on Tuesday evening addressed families and staff members, saying that “after the Huguenot High School graduation ceremony, a shooting took place outside in Monroe Park.” The message said all public schools in the city would close on Wednesday as a cautionary measure. Clips posted to social media appeared to show the aftermath of the shooting. In one, emergency medical workers appeared to be administering CPR to a victim. Students were still wearing their caps and gowns. Other regalia were strewn across the ground.
“I’m just tired of seeing people get shot,” Jason Kamras, the superintendent of Richmond Public Schools, said at the news conference. “Our kids get shot, and I beg of the entire community to stop.” Jonathan Young, a member of the Richmond City School Board, said he and his colleagues had just finished celebrating some 300 graduating students when he heard about 20 consecutive gunshots that “prompted a mad rush sprint to get back inside the building.”
Emergency medical workers and police officers arrived quickly, he said, adding that he had seen many people who appeared to have been injured in what he described as a “stampede.” Mr. Young said his shock quickly turned to “disgust and to anger.”
A statement posted on the website for the Richmond Public Schools on said that all high school graduations had been canceled for the rest of the week, and that schools would be closed on Wednesday.
“I’m just tired of seeing people get shot,” Jason Kamras, the superintendent of Richmond Public Schools, said at the news conference on Tuesday. “Our kids get shot, and I beg of the entire community to stop.”
“Our kids can’t take it,” Mr. Kamras said. “Our teachers can’t take it. Our families can’t take it anymore. I beg of you to stop.”“Our kids can’t take it,” Mr. Kamras said. “Our teachers can’t take it. Our families can’t take it anymore. I beg of you to stop.”
Christine Hauser contributed reporting.