two dead and several injured in shooting during graduation ceremony

Two people were killed and five injured on Tuesday, June 6 at the end of the day, in a shooting during a graduation ceremony for high school students in front of a theater in Richmond, the capital of Virginia in the eastern United States, according to the police. An 18-year-old high school student and a 36-year-old man died, five other people were injured, one of whom is in critical condition.

The alleged perpetrator, a 19-year-old, fled but was arrested shortly after and will be charged with murder, the city’s acting police chief Rick Edwards told reporters.

The suspect knew at least one of the victims

The police chief did not specify the motive for the shooting, but he explained that the suspect knew at least one of the victims. Several handguns were found at the scene.

More than 49,000 people died from gunfire in 2021 (compared to 45,000 in 2020) in the United States, which has more firearms than inhabitants.