Two students were confirmed killed and five others injured when a gunman opened fire at the venue of a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Police said they arrested one suspect, a 19-year-old male who knew one of the victims and shot at him as he exited the Huguenot High School commencement ceremony inside a theater on the Virginia Commonwealth University campus.
The suspect is likely to be charged with two counts of second-degree murder in addition to other offenses, interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards told a press conference.
Mr Edwards called the shooter’s behavior “disgusting and cowardly,” since his dispute appeared to be with just one person.
The deceased were men aged 18 and 36, Edwards said.
Among the wounded, a 31-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries and four other males aged 14, 32, 55 and 58 were expected to survive, Edwards said.
In addition, a 9-year-old girl was struck by a car in the chaos that ensued, and multiple other people were injured in falls or suffered from anxiety, Edwards said.
The suspect fled the scene on foot and was captured in possession of four handguns, three of which may have been fired, he said, stressing that it was too early in the investigation to be certain.
The United States has grown accustomed to mass shootings in public places such as schools, shopping centers and churches.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, the mass shooting was the country’s 279th in the first 157 days of 2023, using the criterion of four or more people shot or killed in a single occurrence, not including the perpetrator.
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