RICHMOND, Va. - Seven people were shot, three of them with life-threatening injuries, after gunfire rang out near Virginia Commonwealth University in downtown Richmond following a high school graduation ceremony Tuesday, according to police and school district officials.Two suspects were taken into custody after the incident, Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a news conference.Edwards said officers inside a theater where the graduation was taking place heard the gunfire, went outside and saw multiple victims with gunshot wounds.Four had injuries that were not life-threatening, he said.
Police did not believe there was any ongoing threat to the community."We're going to do everything we can to bring the individuals involved in this to justice," Mayor Levar Stoney said at the news conference. "This should not be happening anywhere."Richmond Public Schools confirmed on its website that the shooting occurred after the Huguenot High School graduation ceremony in Monroe Park, which is near VCU's campus.
All schools in the district will be closed Wednesday due to the incident. It wasn’t immediately clear what led to the shooting or whether students were among the injured."My administration continues monitoring the terrible shooting in the heart of Richmond tonight," Gov.
Glenn Youngkin said on Twitter. "State law enforcement are fully supporting the Richmond Police Department as this investigation moves forward."VCU advised the community in an online alert around 5:30 p.m.