CNN
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[Breaking news update, published at 9:22 p.m. ET]
Two of the seven people shot outside a theater where a high school graduation ceremony had just taken place in Richmond, Virginia, have died, the city’s acting police chief said.
Those killed were two men: an 18-year-old student and a 36-year-old attending graduation, said interim Chief Rick Edwards.
A suspect, a 19-year-old man, has been taken into custody and police intend to file charges of second-degree murder against him, Edwards said.
“We believe the suspect knew at least one of the victims,” Edwards said.
Police initially arrested a second person, but investigators no longer believe that person was involved in the shooting, Edwards said.
A 9-year-old girl was hit by a car during the incident, Edwards said. She was treated at a hospital Tuesday night for non-life-threatening injuries, Edwards said.
[Original story, published at 8:36 p.m. ET]
Seven people were shot, and three with life-threatening injuries, Tuesday evening outside a theater where a high school graduation ceremony had just taken place in Richmond, Virginia, the acting police chief of the city
Two people have been arrested, Interim Chief Rick Edwards said.
The shooting happened in Richmond’s Monroe Park after Huguenot High School’s graduation ceremony, which took place at the nearby Altria Theater, said Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Stanley. The park is located on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, across the street from the theater.
Three off-duty officers were working security at the ceremony and heard gunshots outside shortly before 5:15 pm ET. They radioed a shots fired call and other officers working traffic responded, the acting police chief said.
They found all seven victims with gunshot wounds and others who suffered injuries from causes other than the gunfire, including one person who was hit by a car in the chaos that followed the shooting, Edwards said.
“Is nothing sacred anymore? Is nothing sacred anymore?” Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney said at a news conference.
The mayor promised that the aggressors will be brought to justice, “not only for the families involved but for the city.”
A different high school graduation ceremony that was scheduled for the theater after the Huguenot High ceremony has been canceled, Stanley said. Graduation ceremonies for three schools were scheduled for Tuesday at the Altria Theater, according to the school system website.
The graduation ceremony had ended and the graduates were outside taking photos with their families when the shooting happened, Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said.
“I have no more words about it,” Kamras said. “I’m tired of seeing people shoot themselves, our kids. And I’m asking the whole community to stop.”
An alert posted at 5:15 pm by Virginia Commonwealth University says there was a shooting in Monroe Park. About an hour later, the alert page said there was no ongoing threat.
