During a graduation ceremony in Richmond, Virginia, a gunshot left two men dead and numerous more wounded.
On Thursday afternoon, a shooting took place in front of the Altria Theatre, where Huguenot High School was celebrating its graduation.
According to WTVR, two men, ages 18 and 36, were shot and killed. Their identities weren’t right away made public.
According to authorities, a victim, 31, was hospitalised with injuries that may have been fatal. A 14-year-old kid, a 32-year-old guy, a 55-year-old man, and a 58-year-old male also had non-life-threatening wounds.
Another injury involved a 9-year-old who was struck by a car, said Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards. The child was rushed to a hospital and is expected to survive.
Two suspects were taken into custody after the rampage. One of them was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, while the other individual was released.
Police said the suspect did not appear to be a high school student.
‘At this point, we do not believe there is a threat ongoing threat to the community,’ said Edwards on Tuesday night. ‘We are in the very early stages of this investigation.’
Virginia Commonwealth University Police issued an alert of a shooting at or near Monroe Park shortly after 5pm. The theater is located at the university campus at a section of the park.
School board members were on lockdown in the Altria building and said they heard more than a dozen bangs and that people were taken out in stretchers, CBS 6 reported.
Photos and footage from the scene showed numerous police vehicles outside the theater.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney called the shooting both tragic and traumatic.
‘Children were involved here… this is their graduation day,’ said Stoney.
‘The question that comes to my mind right now is, is nothing sacred any longer? Is nothing sacred any longer?’