Two dead, five wounded after shooting at high school graduation
Police say a 19-year-old suspect was arrested shortly after the mass shooting and found in possession of four handguns.
A man armed with four handguns killed two people and wounded five others when he fired into a crowd after a high school graduation ceremony in the US city of Richmond, Virginia, police said.
Police said they arrested a suspect, a 19-year-old man, in connection with Tuesday’s shooting near a theatre where the graduation ceremony had been held adjacent to the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.
At least five people are seriously injured after the shooting.
The suspect is likely to be charged with two counts of second-degree murder in addition to other crimes, Richmond Acting Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a news conference.
The deceased were men ages 18 and 36, Edwards said. Their names were not released, but police believe the suspect, who was not immediately identified, knew at least one of the victims.
Among the injured, a 31-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries and four other men aged 14, 32, 55 and 58 were expected to survive, Edwards said. In addition, a nine-year-old girl was hit by a car in the ensuing chaos, while many others were injured by falls or suffered anxiety, Edwards said.
The suspect fled the scene on foot and was caught in possession of four guns, three of which may have been fired, Edwards said, stressing that it was too early in the investigation to be certain.
Richmond Public Schools said in a message on its website that the shooting took place in Monroe Park, which is across the street from the theatre and adjacent to the university campus, after a graduation ceremony at Huguenot High School.
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said the graduation ceremony was over and the new graduates were outside taking pictures with their families and friends when the shooting broke out.
America has become accustomed to mass shootings in public places such as schools, shopping malls and churches.