Richmond shooting – live: Two dead and five injured in mass attack at school graduation ceremony

Seven people were shot and two have died in gunfire that rang out on Tuesday at a high school graduation ceremony held on Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)’s Monroe Park campus, causing hundreds of attendees to flee in panic.

Police have arrested a 19-year-old suspect who tried to escape. He will be charged with two counts of second-degree murder, Richmond’s interim police chief Rick Edwards said.

Among the two killed was an 18-year-old male student who had just graduated, while the other was a 36-year-old man who was there for the graduation, said Mr Edwards, without revealing the identity of any victims or the suspect.

Six people were brought to VCU Medical Center and their conditions ranged from serious to critical late on Tuesday, VCU Health System spokesperson Mary Kate Brogan said.

Police initially said two suspects were detained, but Mr Edwards said later that they determined one of them was not involved.

Richmond mayor Levar Stoney vowed to ensure anyone responsible faces justice. “This should not be happening anywhere,” Mr Stoney said.

Key Points

• Seven victims shot at Virginia high school graduation as police hunt gunman

• Virginia governor comments on shooting

• Authorities give update on Richmond shooting

Facebook video captures moment graduates flee burst of gunfire

11:15 , Joe Sommerlad

The moment gunfire erupted at yesterday’s ceremony, causing hundreds of students and guests to flee in panic, was caught on a video since uploaded to Facebook by one of the event’s attendees.

You can find the clip here should you wish to see it but, be warned, it is distressing.

Other footage of the panicked aftermath has also emerged, some of which you can see below.

Richmond attack the 278th mass shooting in first 157 days of 2023

10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Here are the latest mass shooting statistics from the Gun Violence Archive, which, it goes without saying, make for extremely bleak reading.

Virginia lieutenant governor rebuked over response to tragedy

09:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Winsome Sears, the state’s lieutenant governor, is facing criticism after appearing on TV in the immediate aftermath of yesterday’s tragedy to blame police and city leaders, despite being a passionate pro-gun advocate.

State senator Ghazala Hashmi has posted this picture of her posing with an assault rifle in response to the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, last May to underline the hypocrisy of her position.

School district cancels different graduation ‘out of an abundance of caution’

09:00 , Namita Singh

The school district in Richmond canceled a different graduation scheduled for later on Tuesday “out of an abundance of caution” following the shooting at the graduation ceremony in Virginia.

The schools would be closed on Wednesday, it added.

In video:

08:30 , Namita Singh

Shooting at graduation ceremony is second at school-related event in Richmond

08:00 , Namita Singh

Tuesday’s shooting outside a downtown theatre in Richmond, Virginia was the second to occur at a school-related event in the Virginia capital city.

Earlier in April, two students were injured following shooting at George Wythe High School.

Virginia has witnessed 58 school shootings since 1971, according to The Violence Project, reported Richmond Times Dispatch.

‘This should have been a safe space’

07:30 , Namita Singh

Multiple handguns were recovered following the shooting outside a downtown theater in Richmond, Virginia, where a high school graduation ceremony had ended, reported the Associated Press.

“This should have been a safe space. People should have felt safe at a graduation,” said Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards.

“It’s just incredibly tragic that someone decided to bring a gun to this incident and rain terror on our community.”

Two killed and five injured in Richmond high school graduation mass shooting

07:06 , Namita Singh

Police in Richmond, Virginia, responded on Tuesday to a shooting that took place during a high school graduation ceremony on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Seven people were shot in the incident, leaving with three people life-threatening injuries and four with non-life-threatening injuries, Richmond interim police chief Rick Edwards said during a press conference on Tuesday. Two people were killed in the shooting, WRIC reports, and children were among those wounded in the incident, according to the outlet.

My colleague Josh Marcus has more:

‘Multiple’ victims shot at Virginia high school graduation as police hunt gunman

US witnesses 278th mass shooting this year

06:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The US has grown grimly accustomed to mass shootings in public places such as schools, shopping centres and churches.

Richmond’s mass shooting was the country’s 278th in the first 157 days of 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, using the definition of when four or more people are shot or killed in a single incident, not including the shooter.

‘We cannot continue to live in fear’

06:15 , Namita Singh

The gun violence epidemic is a public health crisis that we must address, said Representative Jennifer McClellan, a Democrat whose district includes Richmond.

“We cannot continue to live in fear. We must address the root causes of gun violence and pass common sense gun safety policies that protect our communities.”

Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, an ardent gun-rights advocate, said in remarks to news outlets near the scene that the problem lies not with guns but with criminals.“We have to figure out what’s going on in our communities,” she said.

Seven victims shot at Virginia high school graduation as police hunt gunman

06:02 , Graeme Massie

‘Multiple’ victims shot at Virginia high school graduation as police hunt gunman

‘We cannot continue to live in fear’

05:59 , Namita Singh

The gun violence epidemic is a public health crisis that we must address, said Representative Jennifer McClellan, a Democrat whose district includes Richmond.

“We cannot continue to live in fear. We must address the root causes of gun violence and pass common sense gun safety policies that protect our communities.”Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, an ardent gun-rights advocate, said in remarks to news outlets near the scene that the problem lies not with guns but with criminals.

“We have to figure out what’s going on in our communities,” she said.

Parents hugging children, students fleeing in graduation outfits: Witnesses recall

05:45 , Namita Singh

As he heard the gunshots and then sirens, neighbor John Willard, 69, stepped onto the balcony of his 18th-floor apartment. Below, he saw students fleeing in their graduation outfits and parents hugging children.

“There was one poor woman in front of the apartment block next to ours who was wailing and crying,” Mr Willard said, adding that the scene left him deeply saddened.

Edythe Payne was helping her daughter sell flowers outside the theater to students as they left the ceremony. She told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the shooting caused a panic on nearby Main Street, which was packed with people at the time.

“I felt bad because some elderly people were at the graduation and they got knocked down to the ground,” Ms Payne said.

‘I’m just tired of seeing people get shot’

05:32 , Namita Singh

Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said the new graduates were outside taking photos with families and friends when the shooting broke out.

“I don’t have any more words on this,” Mr Kamras said. “I’m just tired of seeing people get shot, our kids get shot. And I beg of the entire community to stop, to just stop.”

Panic ‘materialised in a stampede’ injuring 12

05:08 , Namita Singh

At least 12 others were injured or treated for anxiety due to a stampede following the gunfire, according to police.

“As they heard the gunfire, it was obviously chaos,” Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said. “We had hundreds of people in Monroe Park, so people scattered. It was very chaotic at the scene.”

School board member Jonathan Young told Richmond TV station WWBT that graduates and other attendees were leaving the building when they heard about 20 gunshots in rapid succession.

“That prompted, as you would expect, hundreds of persons in an effort to flee the gunfire to return to the building,” Young said.

“It materialised in a stampede,” he said.

Two people were treated for falls; one juvenile was struck by a car and sustained injuries that were not life-threatening; and nine people were treated at the scene for minor injuries or anxiety, according to police spokeswoman Tracy Walker.

Two people reportedly killed in Richmond shooting

05:04 , Graeme Massie

Two people were killed as seven people were shot outside a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, Virginia, according to reports.

One victim known to the arrested suspect

04:47 , Namita Singh

Police say they have arrested a 19-year-old suspect who tried to escape on foot. He will be charged with two counts of second-degree murder, said Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards during a nighttime news conference at which he confirmed the two fatalities.

Mr Edwards said one of the people who was killed was an 18-year-old male student who had just graduated, while the other was a 36-year-old man who was there for the graduation. Seven people were shot in total.

Their names were not released, but police believe the suspect, who was also not immediately identified, knew at least one of the victims.

Two dead in shooting after high school graduation ceremony in Virginia capital

04:44 , Namita Singh

Seven people were shot, two fatally, when gunfire rang out Tuesday outside a downtown theater where a high school graduation ceremony had just ended, causing hundreds of attendees to flee in panic, weep and clutch their children, authorities and witnesses said.

Officers inside the theater, where the graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School had been taking place, heard gunfire around 5.15 pm and radioed to police stationed outside, who found multiple victims, Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said.

Six people were brought to VCU Medical Center and their conditions ranged from serious to critical late Tuesday, VCU Health System spokesperson Mary Kate Brogan said.

Virginia governor comments on shooting

04:03 , Graeme Massie

“My administration continues monitoring the terrible shooting in the heart of Richmond tonight. State law enforcement are fully supporting the Richmond Police Department as this investigation moves forward,” tweeted Glenn Younkin.

Multiple people shot at high school graduation in Richmond, Virginia

03:01 , Graeme Massie

Pictures from scene of shooting

02:08 , Graeme Massie

Six people injured with non-gunshot injuries

01:29 , Graeme Massie

Officials say that two people were injured in falls, one person was hit by a car, and three people self-transported to hospital with anxiety.

Authorities give update on Richmond shooting

Wednesday 7 June 2023 00:13 , Graeme Massie

Authorities say that the shooting started at 5.13pm ET, with seven people suffering gunshot injuries. Of those, three suffered life-threatening injuries and four suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Five others went to the hospital with non-gunshot injuries. Two people have been arrested.

Richmond Public Schools closed on Wednesday following shooting

Tuesday 6 June 2023 23:56 , Graeme Massie

All RPS schools will be closed on Wednesday 7 June out of “an abundance of caution,” according to a message sent to families in the city.

VCU says ‘no ongoing threat’ after shooting

Tuesday 6 June 2023 23:38 , Graeme Massie

There is no ongoing threat to the community but there is a heavy police presence at Monroe Park. Richmond Police are leading the investigation,” the university stated.

Richmond mayor monitoring situation

Tuesday 6 June 2023 23:35 , Graeme Massie

“Currently monitoring the situation at Monroe Park. In touch with RPD and RPS. Will make information available as it comes in. Please avoid the area,” tweeted Levar Stoney.

VCU alert on shooting

Tuesday 6 June 2023 23:29 , Graeme Massie

“The Richmond Police and VCU Police Departments, with support from Virginia State Police and Henrico Police, are on scene near the Altria Theater for a shooting incident. There is no ongoing threat to the community but there is a heavy police presence at Monroe Park. Richmond Police are leading the investigation,” VCU said in an alert to its community.

Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan comments on shooting

Tuesday 6 June 2023 23:25 , Graeme Massie

“This is heartbreaking. My staff & I are closely monitoring this situation. Praying for the safety of everyone involved. I encourage everyone who can to avoid the area,” she tweeted.

Richmond shooting

Tuesday 6 June 2023 23:22 , Graeme Massie

This is a live blog covering a shooting in Richmond, Virginia.