Newsman: Two people are dead Tuesday following a shooting outside a theater in Richmond, Virginia, where a high school graduation ceremony had recently concluded, authorities say. Seven people were shot, three with life-threatening injuries authorities and school officials said.
Two suspects were taken into custody after the incident. A 19-year-old suspect in custody will be charged with two counts of second-degree murder, Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said at Tuesday night news conference. A second individual who was in custody earlier was determined to not be involved in the shooting.
Edwards also confirmed that an 18-year-old male student and a 36-year-old man who was there for the graduation were killed in the incident. Five others suffered gunshot wounds, with one victim sustaining life-threatening injuries.
Edwards said officers had heard gunfire while inside a theater where the graduation was being held and discovered multiple victims with gunshot wounds outside.
“Three are considered life-threatening. Four are considered non-life threatening,” Edwards said.
Other individuals were treated at the scene or at a hospital for injuries unrelated to the shooting, including two people who fell, one who was hit by a car, and three who suffered from anxiety, according to Edwards.
“We’re going to do everything we can to bring the individuals involved in this to justice,” Mayor Levar Stoney said during the news conference. “This should not be happening anywhere.”
The identities of those injured and the suspect were not immediately released but police believe the suspect knew at least one of the victims.
The shooting happened in Richmond’s Monroe Park after Huguenot High School’s graduation ceremony, which took place in the nearby Altria Theater, Richmond Public Schools official Matthew Stanley said. The park is on Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus, across the street from the theater.
