Jonathan Mendelsohn
In Richmond, Virginia, 18-year-old Shawn Jackson was shot and killed at his own high school graduation, along with his father, 36-year-old Renzo Smith. The fatal shooting occurred this past Tuesday when the father and son were walking out of the ceremony at Huguenot High School.
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The suspected shooter is 19-year-old Amari Ty-Jon Pollard. Pollard was arrested and is being charged with second-degree murder and is currently being held without bond. It is suspected that Pollard knew at least one of the victims.
Deadly Shooting at Virginia High School Graduation
The shooting occurred after the attendees and the graduates started leaving the ceremony that took place in the Altria Theatre at Virginia Commonwealth University. Five other attendees at the graduation were also injured during the shooting. Four males, ages 14, 32, 55, and 58, are in stable condition. A 31-year-old male is currently in critical condition at the hospital with life-threatening gunshot wounds.
During the shooting, a stampede reportedly broke out outside the campus. Up to 12 people were injured in the “chaos,” and a 9-year-old was struck by a car at the scene. Thankfully, the young boy is expected to make a full recovery.
According to the Associated Press, 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.” Edwards added, “People should have felt safe at a graduation. It’s just incredibly tragic that someone decided to bring a gun to this incident and rain terror on our community.”
In a statement, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said, “Children were involved here… this is their graduation day. The question that comes to my mind right now is, is nothing sacred any longer? Is nothing sacred any longer?” Jeremy Evans, whose daughter was singing at the graduation, told WWBT, “I look at this scenario like we’re supposed to be happy about people graduating. We’re supposed to be supporting one another, holding one another, loving one another, and then a shooting happens. Come on now. I just think it’s bad. We have to do better.”
