Richmond reels from mass shooting at graduation

Continued from A1 family in Monroe Park, he was gunned down. I can’t shake the image of him receiving CPR on the ground, still in his graduation cap.” the heart of Richmond tonight,” he stated. “State law enforcement are fully supporting the Richmond Police Department as this investigation moves forward.”

Seven people were shot as students, family and friends celebrated in the minutes following the graduation ceremony, according to Police Chief Rick Edwards. The five other men shot, ages, 14, 31, 42, 55 and 58, are recovering with non-lifethreatening injuries from the shooting.

Six others sustained injuries unrelated to the shooting, with three transported to the hospital for anxiety and two injured from falls. Mr. Smith’s nine-year-old daughter was hit by a car as she fled the area, and is being treated for her injuries.

Amari Ty-Jon Pollard, 19, was arrested on Tuesday and charged Wednesday with two counts of second degree murder with additional charges possible, according to police. He is being held without bond, and the case has been continued to a hearing later this month, as shared by Commonwealth’s Attorney Collette McEachin in an email to the Associated Press.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney expressed his desire to see Mr. Pollard prosecuted, but also stressed the need for the community “to put down firearms and lift up our hearts” as a way to recover from this tragedy and ensure peace moving forward.

Chief Edwards said he believed the incident was likely the result of a year-long personal dispute between Mr. Jackson and Mr. Pollard, who police believe attended the graduation. He added that the shooting didn’t appear to be premeditated and that the motive is still under investigation.

Rescheduled Graduation

In response to the shooting, Richmond Public Schools has postponed high school graduations scheduled for this week.

The rescheduled ceremonies will be held at the individual schools with increased security.

The updated schedule for graduations also has been released:

Open High School - Friday, June 9, at 9 a.m. at Richmond

Community High School

Armstrong High School - Monday, June 12, at 11:30 a.m.

Thomas Jefferson High School - Monday, June 12, at 2 p.m.

Franklin Military Academy - Monday, June 12, at 9 a.m.

John Marshall High School - Tuesday, June 13, at 9 a.m.

George Wythe High School - Tuesday, June 13, at noon at John Marshall High School

RPS closed all schools Wednesday in response to the shooting, and later announced all schools will be closed Thursday and Friday, essentially ending the school year.

Mr. Jackson and Mr. Smith’s deaths are the 32nd and 33rd homicides in Richmond this year, according to Chief Edwards.

Tuesday’s shooting was also the second to occur at a Richmond school event this year, after a shooting at George Wythe High School in April left two students injured. Three Armstrong High School students also were shot in two separate incidents Tuesday.

The mass shooting also is the 169th to occur this year according to statistics from The Violence Project, a nonprofit that tracks and researches shootings in America.

The Richmond Behavioral Health Authority is providing counselors for those impacted by this tragedy, and can be reached at (804) 819-4100. The ChildSavers Immediate Response Helpline is also available at (804) 305-2420. Mr. Kamras said a vigil is planned for Mr. Jackson and Mr. Smith.

Amari Pollard

“Our city, our community will not be defined by this violence,” Mayor Stoney said. “Huguenot High will not be defined by this violence.”

“This just needs to stop,” Mr. Kamras said, calling for fewer guns in the community and in the streets, mental health support for children, and state and federal assistance in education, health care and housing. “I’m tired of the vigils, the well-meaning thoughts and prayers and the hand wringing. We need action.”

“Let’s not make this a red issue or blue issue,” Mr. Kamras said. “Can’t we just make it a child issue? Can’t we agree that we all love our children and we need to do better by them?”

Following the shooting, federal, state and local politicians offered condolences, weighed in on the cause of the shooting and suggested necessary responses to prevent future tragedies.

In a statement Tuesday and a floor speech in Congress on Wednesday, Rep. Jennifer L. McClellan mourned the lives lost and called for policy to address and reduce gun violence.

“As the mother of two school-aged children, I cannot fathom the profound heartbreak, sense of loss and trauma these families are experiencing,” Rep. McClellan stated. “We must address the root causes of gun violence and pass common sense gun safety policies that protect our communities.”

Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin also issued a statement Tuesday. “My administration continues monitoring the terrible shooting in

Free COVID-19 vaccines

Continued from A1 vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-testing/covid-19testing-sites.

Want a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot?

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free vaccines for COVID-19 and more at the following locations: police confirmed that Huguenot graduate Shawn Jackson, 18, and his stepfather, Renzo Smith, 36, died from their injuries. Amari Pollard, 19, was arrested and charged with two counts of second degree murder for the shooting.

Thursday, June 8, 2 to 4 p.m. - Cary Street, 400 E. Cary St., Bivalent Moderna boosters for ages 6 and older, Bivalent Pfizer boosters for ages 5 and older, Novavax primary shots for ages 12 and older, JYNNEOS shots and Moderna/Pfizer baby bivalent boosters. Walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged.

Wednesday, June 14, 2 to 4 p.m. - Henrico West Health Department, 8600 Dixon Powers Dr., Bivalent Moderna boosters for ages 6 and older, Bivalent Pfizer boosters for ages 5 and older, Novavax primary shots for ages 12 and older, JYNNEOS shots and Moderna/Pfizer baby bivalent boosters. Walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged.

Anyone can schedule an appointment online at vase.vdh. virginia.gov, vaccinate.virginia.gov or vax.rchd.com, or by calling (804) 205-3501 or (877) VAX-IN-VA (1-877-829-4682). VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine and booster.

Anyone who is getting a booster shot should bring their vaccine card to confirm the date and type of vaccine received. RHHD also offers at-home vaccinations by calling (804) 2053501 to schedule appointments.

New COVID-19 boosters, updated to better protect against the latest variants of the virus, are now available. The new Pfizer booster is approved for those aged 12 and up, while the new Moderna booster is for those aged 18 and older.

As with previous COVID-19 boosters, the new doses can only be received after an initial two vaccine shots, and those who qualify are instructed to wait at least two months after their second COVID-19 vaccine.

The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts also offer bivalent Pfizer and Moderna boosters to children between the ages of 5 and 11. Children in this age range will be eligible after at least two months since their last vaccine dose.

Compiled by George Copeland Jr.

Kendall was afraid for his grandmother, friends and Thomas Jefferson High School faculty when he heard the news. He also was upset that he could not graduate, but he feels safer attending his rescheduled graduation ceremony because of increased security. However, he is afraid of what could happen in public spaces.

“You never know what’s on people’s minds these days,” Kendall said.

Kelly Johnson-Crowder, Kendall’s mother and a teacher at Carver Elementary School, is devastated for the families affected and her son.

“Unfortunately, living in the city of Richmond, too many moms are burying their children,” she said. “It should be the other way around.”

She would like the rescheduled graduation to take place at Thomas Jefferson High School and would feel unsafe at the Altria Theater. However, her family will be out of the country to celebrate Kendall’s graduation and she believes he will miss his opportunity to walk across the stage.

Mrs. Johnson-Crowder suggests stricter gun laws and harsher penalties could help prevent these incidents from occurring. Correcting bad behavior in children as early as elementary school could also help curb these issues.

“There is no value to human life anymore,” she said. “No one cares about human life.”

Leslie Brown, a VCU employee, and Laurel West, a teacher at Bellevue Elementary, attended a community march near the Virginia State Capitol on Wednesday to protest the shooting.

Ms. Brown believes protests should happen every day because this is an everyday issue somewhere in the United States. Awareness of the shooting could help spark change, but the issue could keep occurring, she said, adding that more legislation should be in place to prevent such incidents.

“I cannot even fathom the choices now in front of parents,” Ms. Brown said. I just don’t understand why you would do that to your friends and neighbors, even people you don’t like.”

Ms. West has run out of words for such incidents and does not understand why the issue with shootings has not been addressed.

“I don’t know what else we need to say,” Ms. West said. “Do we really believe that guns are more important than our children because we’re sure acting like we do.”

Dr. Dennis Parker, COO of the mental health agency, Hargrove Oliver & Parker Enterprises, also is president of Caliber Virginia, which represents minority community-based mental health service providers across the Commonwealth. Dr. Parker said has worked with a teen who knew someone involved in the shooting at the Altria Theater and the teen discussed the issue in a “very numb, non-emotional manner.”

Dr. Parker is saddened by the shooting and believes such situations are what leads to post traumatic stress syndrome in many Black communities.

This causes numbness in order to survive, he said. Black teens suffer from PTSD expecting that these issues are a part of life and are going to happen.

“It does give you some type of coping mechanism,” Dr. Parker said. “But it also normalizes behavior such that you may or may not take the proactive steps to try to redirect it and change some of that because you get to think that it’s just the way it is.”

Caliber Virginia and Dr. Parker will host a virtual session on June 15 to discuss ways to protect teens and young people.