(Washington) Two people were killed and five injured Tuesday in a shooting during a graduation ceremony for high school students in Virginia, in the eastern United States, police said.
The shooting erupted around 5 p.m. (5 p.m. Eastern Time) outside a theater in Virginia’s capital, Richmond, where students from a local high school were taking part in the traditional graduation ceremony, the police told urges acting city police chief Rick Edwards.
An 18-year-old high school student and a 36-year-old man were killed and five other people were injured, one of whom is in critical condition, he added.
The alleged perpetrator, a 19-year-old, fled but was arrested shortly after and will be charged with murder, Mr Edwards added.
The police official did not specify the motive for the shooting, but said 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 people.