RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Police announced two arrests made by the department's Civil Unrest Task Force following incidents surrounding the on-going protests along and near Monument Avenue.
"Nicholas R. Smith is charged with discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of school property for an incident in the 100 block of North Granby Street on July 26, 2020. Video of the incident, which shows a male exiting a black truck and firing a shot into the ground, was shared widely on social media," a Richmond Police spokesperson wrote in an email. "Lawrence E. West is charged with malicious wounding for an assault on August 14, 2020 in the 1700 block of Monument Avenue near the circle at Monument and Allen avenues. The victim was treated at a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries."
There have been nightly protests and other activities taking place on Monument Avenue and around the Robert E. Lee monument since late May when George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Police did not share additional circumstances surrounding the crimes Smith and West were accused of committing.
