A high school graduation ceremony in Virginia turned tragic when a shooting claimed the lives of a pupil and his stepfather, leaving 5 others injured. The incident occurred outside Altria Theater in Richmond, the place lots of of people, many clad in graduation gowns, ran for security. The police have recognized the 19-year-old suspect, Omari Pollard, who’s believed to have carried out the focused attack because of an ongoing dispute.
Renzo Smith, 36 years previous, and his 18-year-old stepson, Sean D Jackson, had been celebrating the graduation when the capturing began, ensuing of their deaths. Amid the chaos, a nine-year-old woman associated to the household was additionally hit by a automotive and taken to the hospital with minor accidents. Pollard now faces two counts of second-degree homicide.
The police managed to apprehend the suspect without firing any pictures and recovered several weapons from the scene. The 5 injured victims are reportedly in non-life-threatening condition. No problem expressed his grief, stating, “A day that should have been a second of pleasure and celebration with friends and family was taken away in seconds and lives changed endlessly.”
The taking pictures happened in Monroe Park, reverse the theatre, shortly after the Huguenot High School ceremony concluded. Families and graduates had been leaving the theatre when at least eight pictures rang out, inflicting folks to run for canopy, some carrying young children and babies. Following the assault, emotional reunions occurred as graduates hugged and cried.
In addition to the taking pictures victims, another 12 folks have been injured during the rush or treated for anxiousness as a result of chaos. Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards lamented, “This should have been a secure area. People ought to have felt protected at a graduation.” He added that it was “incredibly tragic that somebody decided to deliver a gun to this incident and rain terror on our group.”