Two people were killed and five wounded Tuesday, June 6 in a shooting during a graduation ceremony for high school students in Virginia, in the eastern United States, according to police. The shooting broke out around 17 p.m. (00 GMT) outside a theater in Richmond, Virginia's capital, where students from a local high school were participating in the traditional graduation ceremony, the city's acting police chief, Rick Edwards, told reporters.
Another person in critical condition
An 18-year-old high school student and a 36-year-old man were killed and five others 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, Edwards said.
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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 (up from 45,000 in 2020) in the United States, which has more guns than people.