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Two people were shot dead and five others wounded when bullets flew outside a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, Virginia, on Tuesday, according to officials.
The shooting erupted around 5:15 p.m. across from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Altria Theater, where Huguenot High School was hosting its commencement ceremony, Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a press conference.
Video from the scene captures the chilling sounds of gunfire reverberating through the air, sending graduates and their families scrambling for cover.
“As they heard the gunfire, it was obviously chaos,” Edwards said. “We had hundreds of people in Monroe Park, so people scattered. It was very chaotic at the scene.”
A 19-year-old man was taken into custody following the shooting and is expected to face second-degree murder charges, according to Edwards.
The police chief said cops inside the theater heard gunshots and radioed officers stationed outside who then discovered multiple shooting victims at the park across from the city-owned building.
Two men, 18 and 36, who suffered gunshot wounds later died from their injuries. The 18-year-old was one of the high schoolers who had just graduated moments before he was killed, while the 36-year-old was an attendee of the commencement ceremony, Edwards said.
Police have not released the names of the fatal victims but believe the suspect knew at least one of them.
Five other victims — including a 14-year-old boy and four men, ages 31, 32, 55 and 58 — were also struck by gunfire, according to Edwards. The 31-year-old sustained life-threatening injuries while the four others were listed in stable condition, authorities said.
In addition to the seven struck by gunfire, at least a dozen people were injured or treated for panic attacks due to the chaos that erupted following the sound of gunfire.
Two people were injured from falls, a 9-year-old girl was struck by a car at the scene and nine more went to the hospital for panic attacks or minor injuries.
The little girl was not seriously hurt.
“This should have been a safe space. People should have felt safe at a graduation,” Edwards said. “It’s just incredibly tragic that someone decided to bring a gun to this incident and rain terror on our community.”
The newly minted grads were outside taking photos with family members and friends when the shots rang out, according to Richmond Public Schools superintendent Jason Kamras.
Footage from the scene, taken by an uncle of a graduate, shows a group of new grads joyously cheering, clapping and jumping up and down among a sea of students and their families outside the theater.
Seconds later, the happy scene abruptly changes to panic as roughly 20 gunshots ring out. The gunfire sent the crowd running back into the building as people screamed in fear.
A nearby neighbor, John Willard, 69, said he stepped onto the balcony of his 18th-floor apartment when he heard the gunfire and sirens and saw mayhem below. Students, still in their caps and gowns, were fleeing and parents were tightly hugging their children.
“There was one poor woman in front of the apartment block next to ours who was wailing and crying,” Willard said of the heart-shattering scene.
A witness told local station 8News they heard at least 30 gunshots and sources told the station that four firearms were recovered at the scene.
“Everyone literally started running for their lives,” the witness explained.
School board member Jonathan Roung told local station WWBT that the gunfire prompted “a stampede” of people returning to the building.
The police chief said there was no longer a threat to the public after police arrested the suspect, who has not been publicly identified.
“We’re going to do everything we can to bring the individuals involved in this to justice,” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said at the news conference. “This should not be happening anywhere.”
The Richmond school district announced that all high school graduations scheduled for this week have been canceled and all schools will be closed Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution.”
“This is supposed to be a joyous day when our kids walk the stage and get their diplomas, which is what they all did here today for Huguenot … and then this tragedy occurred,” Kamras told reporters at the scene. “I’m just tired of seeing people get shot, our kids get shot. I beg of the entire community to stop.”
With Post wires
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