In Richmond, Virginia, on Tuesday, a man with four handguns opened fire on a gathering outside a high school graduation ceremony, killing two people and injuring five others, police said.
Police said they arrested one suspect, a 19-year-old man who knew one of the victims and shot at him amid the crowd that had just emerged from the Huguenot High School’s commencement ceremony inside a theatre on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, Reuters reported.
Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards stated at a press conference that the suspect would probably face multiple charges, including two counts of second-degree murder.
Edwards called the shooter’s behaviour “disgusting and cowardly” since his dispute appeared to be with just one person.
“When you have a crowd like this, innocent people are going to be caught up in the mayhem, and that’s what happened today,” Edwards said. “Obviously, this should have been a safe space… It’s just incredibly tragic that someone decided to bring a gun to this incident and rain terror on our community.”
A 36-year-old guy who attended the ceremony at a theatre outside the park on Tuesday and an 18-year-old student who graduated from school were killed. They weren’t given names.
A 14-year-old child and four other men, whose ages ranged from 31 to 58, were shot in addition to the two people who were murdered. According to Edwards, four of those hurt only had minor wounds.
The mayor promised whoever was involved would be brought to justice, “not just for the families involved but for the city.”
Mass shootings in public locations, including churches, malls, and schools, have become commonplace in the United States.
