Two people have been killed and five others injured in a shooting at a graduation ceremony in Virginia.
On Tuesday night, hundreds of people—many of them in caps and gowns—were forced to flee the Altria Theater in Richmond after a shooting.
The chief of police for the city stated, “It was obviously chaos.” “People were scattered.”
Suspect, 19, attempted to go away on foot but was apprehended. According to authorities, he will face at least two second-degree murder charges.
The unidentified suspect is thought to have known at least one of the victims. When they captured him, police did not use force, and many guns were found at the scene.
The two fatalities were an 18-year-old member of the graduating class and his 36-year-old father, according to authorities, whose identities have not yet been made public.
A 31-year-old who was shot has critical injuries and life-threatening wounds. Four males, ages 14, 32, 55, and 58, were hurt, but they’re all doing okay now.
Immediately following the Huguenot High School graduation ceremony, which ended at around 17:15 (21:15 GMT), the shooter started opening fire in Monroe Park, which is located across from the theater.
At least eight bullets were fired as people were exiting the theater, which is close to the Virginia Commonwealth University campus.
Some people carrying newborns and young children sprinted for safety, while others looked for shelter in adjacent buildings. When graduates were reunited after the tragedy, they cried and held one another.
As well as those who were shot, police said another 12 people were injured in the rush or treated for anxiety due to the chaos.
“This should have been a safe space. People should have felt safe at a graduation,” Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a news conference.
“It’s just incredibly tragic that someone decided to bring a gun to this incident and rain terror on our community,” he said.