In Virginia, a shooting at a graduation ceremony resulted in two fatalities and five injuries.
On Tuesday night, hundreds of people—many of them in caps and gowns—were forced to flee the scene of the shooting outside the Altria Theater in Richmond.
The city's police chief declared that there was "obvious chaos.". "Personals dispersed. ".
Unable to escape on foot, a suspect, 19, was apprehended. He will face at least two second-degree murder charges, according to the police.
It is thought that the unidentified suspect knew at least one of the victims. He was captured by police without any shots being fired, and several guns were found nearby.
The names of the victims have not been made public, but according to the police, the two fatalities were a 36-year-old father and an 18-year-old man who was a member of the graduating class.
A 31-year-old who was shot is in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. Four males, 14 to 32, 55 to 58 years old, were hurt but are doing well.
Soon after the graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School ended at around 17:15 (21:15 GMT), the shooter began opening fire in Monroe Park, which is directly across from the theater.
There were at least eight shots fired as people were leaving the theater, which is close to the Virginia Commonwealth University campus, with their families and graduates.
While others sought refuge in nearby buildings, people fled, some carrying infants and young children. When graduates reunited after the attack, they hugged and sobbed.
Police reported that in addition to those shot, another 12 people were hurt during the rush or received anxiety treatment as a result of the mayhem.
This was supposed to be a safe place. At a news conference, Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards stated that graduates should have felt safe.
It's just incredibly tragic, he said, that someone chose to bring a gun to this incident and terrorize our neighborhood.
The attack happened on what was "supposed to be a joyful day when our kids walk the stage and get their diploma," according to Jason Kamras, superintendent of Richmond Public Schools.
I'm tired of seeing people get shot, including our kids, and I beg the entire community to stop, he said, concluding his statement.
