HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — New details offer a clearer look at what happened to 13-year-old Lucia Bremer, the Quioccasin Middle School student who was shot and killed in her neighborhood on Friday.
A source close to the families involved told 8News Bremer and another young girl were walking on a path in the Gayton Forest West subdivision as the killer followed them closely from behind.
When the killer approached the girls, the source said Bremer’s friend pushed the gunman back and ran to a nearby house, yelling “gun! gun!”
“Less than a second later,” they said Bremer was shot several times. The source also says they believe the girls did not know the killer and that the boy didn’t say anything to them before pulling the gun.
This timeline of events lines up with what a witness told 8News after the shooting Friday. The witness said they noticed two girls walking on a path that leads from Godwin High School being closely followed by a man. He then heard multiple gunshots and when the witness got closer to the area, he found a girl suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The witness said he tried to administer CPR.
On Saturday, the 14-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm of a juvenile. He appeared before a judge in a virtual call for his arraignment hearing Monday morning. His name has not been released to the public because of his age.
“The facts of this case are absolutely horrific,” said Shannon Taylor, Henrico county’s Commonwealth’s Attorney, after the suspect was arraigned Monday.
“Let me just recognize that we are still within 72 hours of this tragic event happening,” she said.
Taylor and police said they can’t release many more details, however, “the community should feel safe at this time.”
“Recognize that when we’re dealing with two juveniles in a situation like this, it’s a tragedy, no doubt about it,” Taylor told reporters outside of the juvenile courthouse.
Taylor said due to the nature of the crime and because the suspect is 14-years-old, the law gives her office the power to prosecute him as an adult if she chooses to. However, she said, that depends on several factors.
“We are so early in the beginning of these proceedings,” the prosecutor said, “To understand this young man, and who he is and what his background is about, we certainly can’t comment on whether that’s something we’re going to pursue or not.”
A guardian for the suspect was present at the arraignment. A status hearing for the teen has been scheduled for May 4, but for now, he is being held without bond.
Taylor said she can’t say what will come out of that hearing but said there will likely be pre-trial motions filed.
Many details regarding what happened are still unclear. 8News asked Taylor about the relationship between the suspect and victims and if investigators know how the suspect got a gun. The prosecutor said both of those things are under investigation.
Henrico police also said there have been several rumors circulating on social media. According to those authorities, there’s no indication this was a hate crime or gang related.
