Graduate and his dad killed in mass shooting after high school graduation in Virginia

The 19-year-old suspect is in custody.

June 7, 2023, 4:54 PM

A father and son were killed and several others were hurt in a mass shooting following a high school graduation in Richmond, Virginia, police said.

The suspect, 19-year-old Ameri Ty-John Pollard, is in custody in connection with the shooting, which unfolded in a park on Tuesday after the Huguenot High School graduation ended in a nearby theater.

The suspect watched the graduation ceremony, after which it appears he went to his car to get a handgun and then returned, police said.

PHOTO: Law enforcement officers and first responders at the scene after a gunman opened fire in a park as high school graduates and their families emerged from a theater where commencement exercises had just concluded, in Richmond, Va., June 6, 2023.
Law enforcement officers and first responders at the scene after a gunman opened fire in a park as high school graduates and their families emerged from a theater where commencement exercises had just concluded, in Richmond, Va., June 6, 2023.
Clark Frierson via Reuters

Killed in the shooting were Huguenot High School graduate Shawn Jackson, 18, and his father, Renzo Smith, 36.

Pollard and Jackson knew each other and had an "ongoing dispute," Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a news conference Wednesday.

"This was targeted at one individual," Edwards said.

PHOTO: Shawn Jackson and Renzo Smith
Shawn Jackson and Renzo Smith
Courtesy Jackson-Smith Family

"I didn't know Shawn, but I shook his hand and wished him congratulations about 20 minutes before he died," Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said at Wednesday's news conference. "Those who did know Shawn described him as bubbly and the life of the party."

"Getting to the graduation stage was not easy for Shawn, nevertheless, he did it, and he was rightly proud, smiling and celebrating like all of his peers," Kamras said. "Then, just a few minutes later while enjoying the moment with his family in Monroe Park, he was gunned down. I can't shake the image of him receiving CPR on the ground, still in his graduation gown."

PHOTO: Shawn Jackson
Shawn Jackson
Jackson-Smith Family

Five people were shot and survived: four adults and a 14-year-old boy, authorities said. One victim, a 31-year-old, is in the hospital in life-threatening condition while the other four suffered non-life-threatening injures, authorities said.

Several others suffered various injuries in connection to the shooting. Jackson's 9-year-old sister was hit by a car and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

PHOTO: Shawn Jackson and his 9 year old sister
Shawn Jackson and his 9 year old sister
Jackson-Smith Family

Two people were treated for falls and nine people were treated for anxiety and minor injuries at the scene, police said.

The shooting took place around 5:13 p.m. in Monroe Park, near Virginia Commonwealth University, officials said. The scene was near the Altria Theater, which was scheduled to host several graduation ceremonies for Richmond Public Schools on Tuesday.

Students in graduation gowns could be seen running away.

PHOTO: Police respond to a shooting incident at Virginia Commonwealth University's Monroe Park Campus in Richmond, Virginia, June 6, 2023.
Police respond to a shooting incident in Richmond, Virginia, June 6, 2023.
John Willard/Facebook

Jackson, who wanted to be a rapper, was "very, very excited" to graduate, his aunt, Datrell Glover, told ABC News through tears.

"I can't believe this happy moment was ruined like this," she said.

"The violence has to stop," she said.

PHOTO: Police respond to a shooting incident at Virginia Commonwealth University's Monroe Park Campus in Richmond, Virginia, June 6, 2023.
Police respond to a shooting incident in Richmond, Virginia, June 6, 2023.
John Willard/Facebook

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney called the shooting a "selfish, senseless act."

"A child should be able to go to their graduation and walk up to graduation and enjoy the accomplishment with their friends and their families," Stoney told reporters.

PHOTO: Flowers and blood stains mark the scene at Monroe Park where people were shot following the graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School, June 7, 2023, in Richmond Va.
Flowers and blood stains mark the scene at Monroe Park where people were shot following the graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School, June 7, 2023, in Richmond Va.
Jemal Countess/UPI/Shutterstock

Thomas Jefferson High School's graduation ceremony scheduled for Tuesday night was canceled and all Richmond Public Schools are closed Wednesday.

Pollard made his first appearance in court Wednesday where he was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and held without bail. He's due back in court on June 21.

PHOTO: Amari Pollard, 19, is facing two counts of second degree murder in the shooting at a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, Va., on June 6, 2023.
Amari Pollard, 19, is facing two counts of second degree murder in the shooting at a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, Va., on June 6, 2023.
Richmond Police Dept. via AP

ABC News' Lauren Minore and Laryssa Demkiw contributed to this report.

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