RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A day of celebration turned into an evening of nightmares when a gunman opened fire into a crowd gathered outside the Altria Theater after a Richmond high school graduation ceremony. The tragic shooting killed two people.
Shawn Jackson, 18, had walked across the stage, officially becoming a high school graduate just minutes before he and his stepfather, Renzo Smith, 36, were shot dead outside the theater. Richmond Police claim the 18-year-old was the suspected shooter’s intended target, but more than a dozen others were injured in the chaos.
According to Richmond Police, 19 people were either shot, injured or treated for a medical emergency in relation to the shooting:
- Two people were shot and killed
- Shawn Jackson, 18 — Jackson had graduated from Huguenot High School just minutes before his death.
- Renzo Smith, 36 — Shawn Jackson’s stepfather.
- Five others were shot
- All were considered to be in non-life-threatening condition the day after the shooting.
- One such victim was shot in the leg while on the ground shielding his family from bullets.
- One child was hit by a car
- Shawn Jackson’s 9-year-old sister, Renya Jackson Smith, was hit by a car in the chaos. She was taken to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries and later released.
- Two people were treated for injuries after falling during the pandemonium
- Nine people were otherwise treated at the scene for anxiety/emotional trauma and minor injuries
Flowers are placed in front of the Altria Theater which was the site of a mass shooting after a graduation ceremony Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) 
Police vehicles arrive at the scene of a shooting Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Richmond, Va. Authorities in Richmond say seven people were shot following a high school graduation ceremony held at a downtown theater near Virginia Commonwealth University. Interim Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a news conference that two suspects were taken into custody after Tuesday’s shooting. (John Willard via AP) 
People scatter from a shooting scene as police arrive Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Richmond, Va. Authorities in Richmond, Virginia, say seven people were shot following a high school graduation ceremony held at a downtown theater near Virginia Commonwealth University. Interim Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a news conference that two suspects were taken into custody after Tuesday’s shooting. (John Willard via AP)
The shooting suspect, Amari Ty-Jon Pollard, 19, of Henrico, was arrested by police at the scene and faces two charges for second-degree murder in the deaths of Johnson and Smith. Police said additional charges could be added.
Pollard is being held without bond at the Richmond City Jail, where he awaits his next status hearing on June 21 at 9 a.m.
In a press conference Wednesday, Richmond’s acting Police Chief Rick Edwards said after a “highly-charged” event like Tuesday’s mass shooting, there is a likelihood for direct retaliation.
