Richmond VA shooting latest: Suspect arrested after two dead and five injured in attack on Virginia high school graduation
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Seven shot, at least two dead at high school graduation in Richmond
Seven people were shot and two have died in gunfire that rang out on Tuesday at a high school graduation ceremony held on Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)’s Monroe Park campus, causing hundreds of attendees to flee in panic.
Police have arrested a 19-year-old suspect who tried to escape. He will be charged with two counts of second-degree murder, Richmond’s interim police chief 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 there for the graduation, said Mr Edwards, without revealing the identity of any victims or the suspect.
Six people were brought to VCU Medical Center and their conditions ranged from serious to critical late on Tuesday, spokesperson Mary Kate Brogan said.
Police initially said two suspects were detained but Mr Edwards said later that they determined one of them was not involved.
Richmond mayor Levar Stoney vowed to ensure anyone responsible faces justice. “This should not be happening anywhere,” Mr Stoney said.
Virginia lieutenant governor rebuked over response to tragedy
Winsome Sears, the state’s lieutenant governor, is facing criticism after appearing on TV in the immediate aftermath of yesterday’s tragedy to blame police and city leaders, despite being a passionate pro-gun advocate.
State senator Ghazala Hashmi has posted this picture of her posing with an assault rifle in response to the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, last May to underline the hypocrisy of her position.
Joe Sommerlad7 June 2023 09:45
School district cancels different graduation ‘out of an abundance of caution’
The school district in Richmond canceled a different graduation scheduled for later on Tuesday “out of an abundance of caution” following the shooting at the graduation ceremony in Virginia.
The schools would be closed on Wednesday, it added.
Namita Singh7 June 2023 09:00
In video:
7 shot, at least 2 dead at high school graduation in Richmond
Namita Singh7 June 2023 08:30
Shooting at graduation ceremony is second at school-related event in Richmond
Tuesday’s shooting outside a downtown theatre in Richmond, Virginia was the second to occur at a school-related event in the Virginia capital city.
Earlier in April, two students were injured following shooting at George Wythe High School.
Virginia has witnessed 58 school shootings since 1971, according to The Violence Project, reported Richmond Times Dispatch.
Namita Singh7 June 2023 08:00
‘This should have been a safe space’
Multiple handguns were recovered following the shooting outside a downtown theater in Richmond, Virginia, where a high school graduation ceremony had ended, reported the Associated Press.
“This should have been a safe space. People should have felt safe at a graduation,” said Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards.
“It’s just incredibly tragic that someone decided to bring a gun to this incident and rain terror on our community.”
Namita Singh7 June 2023 07:30
Two killed and five injured in Richmond high school graduation mass shooting
Seven people were shot in the incident, leaving with three people life-threatening injuries and four with non-life-threatening injuries, Richmond interim police chief Rick Edwards said during a press conference on Tuesday. Two people were killed in the shooting, WRIC reports, and children were among those wounded in the incident, according to the outlet.
My colleague Josh Marcus has more:
Namita Singh7 June 2023 07:00
US witnesses 278th mass shooting this year
The US has grown grimly accustomed to mass shootings in public places such as schools, shopping centres and churches.
Richmond’s mass shooting was the country’s 278th in the first 157 days of 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, using the definition of when four or more people are shot or killed in a single incident, not including the shooter.
An emergency vehicle makes its way after a gunman opened fire, according to the police sources, in Richmond, Virginia US on 6 June 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video
(Reuters)
Joe Sommerlad7 June 2023 06:30
‘We cannot continue to live in fear’
The gun violence epidemic is a public health crisis that we must address, said Representative Jennifer McClellan, a Democrat whose district includes Richmond.
“We cannot continue to live in fear. We must address the root causes of gun violence and pass common sense gun safety policies that protect our communities.”
Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, an ardent gun-rights advocate, said in remarks to news outlets near the scene that the problem lies not with guns but with criminals.“We have to figure out what’s going on in our communities,” she said.
Namita Singh7 June 2023 06:15
Seven victims shot at Virginia high school graduation as police hunt gunman
Graeme Massie7 June 2023 06:02
‘We cannot continue to live in fear’
The gun violence epidemic is a public health crisis that we must address, said Representative Jennifer McClellan, a Democrat whose district includes Richmond.
“We cannot continue to live in fear. We must address the root causes of gun violence and pass common sense gun safety policies that protect our communities.”Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, an ardent gun-rights advocate, said in remarks to news outlets near the scene that the problem lies not with guns but with criminals.
“We have to figure out what’s going on in our communities,” she said.
Namita Singh7 June 2023 05:59