Police in Richmond, Virginia, are preparing to release more information about the victims in a mass shooting that occurred downtown Tuesday night after a high school graduation ceremony, officials said.
Two people were killed in the shooting and many others are injured, authorities said. A suspect was in custody Wednesday morning.
The two people fatally shot were a father and son, NBC News reported.
The Richmond Police Department is investigating the shooting and was preparing Wednesday morning to release more information to the public, officer James Mercante told USA TODAY.
Who are the victims?
The identities of the victims have not been released yet, Mercante said Wednesday morning.
Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards confirmed at a news conference Tuesday night an 18-year-old male student and a 36-year-old man there for the graduation were killed in the incident.
At least 12 others were injured or treated for anxiety due to the mayhem, according to police.
“As they heard the gunfire, it was obviously chaos,” Edwards said. “We had hundreds of people in Monroe Park, so people scattered. It was very chaotic at the scene.”
The conditions of the victims’ injuries range from serious to critical, according to a health system spokesperson.
Where did the Richmond shooting happen?
The Tuesday night shooting happened near the city-owned Altria Theater in downtown Richmond after a high school graduation in the facility, police said.
Matthew Stanley, a spokesperson for Richmond Public Schools, told USA TODAY the shooting took place outside Monroe Park near the theater after Huguenot High School’s graduation ceremony. The park is located in downtown Richmond near the Virginia Commonwealth University campus.
When gunfire began, hundreds of attendees fled in panic, weeping and clutching their children, authorities and witnesses said.
Who is the suspect?
A 19-year-old suspect was custody Wednesday, charged with two counts of second-degree murder, Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said Tuesday night.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; Associated Press
