Graduation shooting latest: Victims of Richmond high school attack named as video shows suspect open fire
Seven shots, at least two dead at Richmond high school graduation
Seven people were shot dead and two died — now father and son Renzo Smith and Shawn Jackson — in gunfire that rang out Tuesday at a high school graduation ceremony on Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Monroe Park campus, killing hundreds Students and guests flee in panic, a moment captured on video that one of the event attendees has since uploaded to Facebook.
Police have arrested a 19-year-old suspect who tried to flee. He faces two counts of second-degree murder, Richmond’s acting chief of police, Rick Edwards, said.
Among the two killed was an 18-year-old male student who had just graduated from Huguenot High School, while the other was a 36-year-old man who was present at the graduation ceremony, Mr Edwards said, without revealing the identity of any victim or the suspect.
Six people were taken to VCU Medical Center late Tuesday and their conditions ranged from serious to critical, spokeswoman Mary Kate Brogan said.
Police initially said two suspects had been arrested, but Mr Edwards later said they had concluded one of them had not been involved.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney pledged to ensure justice was done for all those responsible. “It shouldn’t be happening anywhere,” Mr Stoney said.
“This is supposed to be a happy day”
Richmond Principal Jason Kamras had the following to say about yesterday’s events.
Joe SommerladJune 7, 2023 3:00 p.m
WATCH: Gunshots erupt after high school graduation
Ariana BaioJune 7, 2023 2:30 p.m
Flashback: Two dead, five injured in mass shooting at Richmond high school graduation
If you’re at it, Richmond, Virginia police on Tuesday responded to a shooting that took place during a high school graduation ceremony on the Virginia Commonwealth University campus.
Seven people were shot in the incident, with three people suffering non-life-threatening injuries and four non-life-threatening injuries, Rick Edwards, Richmond’s interim police chief, said during a news conference last night.
Two people were killed in the shooting, WRIC reports, and children were among the injured, the source said.
my colleague Josh Marcus has more.
Joe SommerladJune 7, 2023 2:15 p.m
“Every Parent’s Worst Nightmare”
Democratic Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan of Virginia offered her condolences to the families in the following statement.
Joe SommerladJune 7, 2023 1:30 p.m
“Our heart breaks for those whose lives were lost today”
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin tweeted about the Richmond shooting.
Joe SommerladJune 7, 2023 12:45 p.m
Father and son Renzo Smith and Shawn Jackson are named as victims
The victims of yesterday’s shooting in Virginia were senior high school student Shawn Jackson, 18, and his father, Renzo Smith, 36, who attended the ceremony as a guest, local media reports.
Community Attorney Charles Willis, who heads the group United Communities Against Crime, released the names and photos of the victims on behalf of the grieving family.
“The family has asked that the Richmond Ward keep them in their prayers,” Willis said.
Joe SommerladJune 7, 2023 12:30 p.m
Crime scene pictures
Here’s what the Monroe Park campus looked like on Tuesday afternoon as people struggled to come to terms with what had happened on a day meant to be a moment of celebration.
Police officers are at the scene after a gunman opened fire on high school seniors and their families as they exited a theater where graduation practice had just ended
(Reuters)
Police cars race to the crime scene
(Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch/AP)
A police line in Monroe Park
(WWBT)
An emergency vehicle is on its way to help the injured
(Reuters)
Richmond Acting Police Commissioner Rick Edwards gives a news conference Tuesday night about the Huguenot High School graduation shooting
(AP)
Joe SommerladJune 7, 2023 12:00
Facebook video captures moment of graduates fleeing gunfire
The moment gunfire erupted at yesterday’s ceremony, causing hundreds of students and guests to flee in panic, was captured on video that one of those attending the event has since uploaded to Facebook.
You can find the clip here if you want to see it, but be warned it’s unsettling.
Other footage of the panic episodes has also surfaced, some of which you can see below.
Joe SommerladJune 7, 2023 11:15 am
Richmond attacks 278th mass shooting in first 157 days of 2023
Here are the latest mass shooting statistics from the Gun Violence Archive, which, of course, make for extremely somber reading.
Joe SommerladJune 7, 2023 10:30 am
Virginia’s lieutenant governor was rebuked for responding to the tragedy
Winsome Sears, the state’s lieutenant governor, faces criticism after appearing on television in the immediate aftermath of yesterday’s tragedy to blame police and city leaders, despite being an ardent gun advocate.
State Senator Ghazala Hashmi posted this picture posing with an assault rifle in response to the horrific shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas last May, to underscore the hypocrisy of her position.
Joe SommerladJune 7, 2023 9:45 am