Police say they arrested a 19-year-old suspect who opened fire on a crowd that had just emerged from the opening ceremony of Huguenot High School, inside a theater on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.
Law enforcement officers investigate at the scene. Photo: REUTERS
Richmond Area Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a news conference that the suspect is likely to be charged with second-degree murder among other charges.
Edwards called the shooter's behavior "disgusting and cowardly", as he appeared to be in dispute with only one person in the crowd.
"When there's a crowd like this, innocent people get caught up in the mess, and that's what happened today," Edwards said. “Obviously, this is supposed to be a safe space… It's extremely tragic that someone decided to bring a gun to this incident and sow terror in our community.”
The United States regularly records mass shootings in public places such as schools, shopping malls and churches.
This mass shooting is the country's 279th mass shooting in the first 157 days of 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Edwards said the dead were men between the ages of 18 and 36. Edwards added that among the injured, a 31-year-old man was life-threatening and four others aged 4, 14, 32 and 55 are said to be dangerous.
In addition, a 9-year-old girl was hit by a car in the ensuing chaos and many others suffered injuries from falls or anxiety, Edwards added.
He said the suspect fled the scene and was arrested in possession of four handguns.
Mai Anh (according to Reuters)
