Seven shot, at least two dead at high school graduation in Richmond
Amari Pollard, the 19-year-old suspect in the gun attack on a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, Virginia, was arraigned on Wednesday morning and charged with two counts of second-degree murder, according to the Richmond Police Department (RPD).
Seven people were shot in the incident on Virginia Commonwealth University’s Monroe Park campus on Tuesday afternoon, with Shawn Jackson, 18, and his stepfather Lorenzo Smith, 36, dying of their injuries.
“Detectives have determined the shootings were not a random act but resulted from an ongoing dispute between Pollard and Jackson,” the RPD told The Independent in a statement.
The outburst of gunfire caused a stampede as graduates and guests attempted to flee the vicinity, a moment of panic captured in at least one video subsequently posted to Facebook.
“This should not be happening anywhere,” lamented city mayor Levar Stoney.
“Whether it’s in Richmond, it’s in Virginia, in the United States this should not be happening anywhere. A child should be able to go to their graduation and walk at their graduation and enjoy the accomplishment with their friends and their families.”
