Funeral held for Petersburg woman killed in Shockoe Bottom shooting

PETERSBURG, Va. — A memorial service was held Saturday, Feb. 28, at noon at Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Petersburg for Genesis Jones, one of the two people killed in a mass shooting in Richmond's Shockoe Bottom last weekend.

A public visitation took place Friday, Feb. 27, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Petersburg Chapel of Bland Funeral Home.

Jones was killed early Saturday morning when gunfire erupted in Richmond's Shockoe Bottom neighborhood, leaving two people dead and seven others injured. The mass shooting marks the city's most violent incident so far in 2026.

The 23-year-old was in the city's entertainment district with loved ones to celebrate her younger brother's birthday when the shooting occurred.

Richmond Police said Jones was not part of any argument or altercation before the shooting. She was simply walking through the area when she was caught in the chaos, according to her older brother, Zekiah Jones.

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The night had been full of good vibes until gunfire erupted, Jones told CBS 6.

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"We were outside of Mamacita's, we heard a few shots go off, like 10 to 15 shots," he said. "One of them actually went past my head and hit the building."

Minutes later, friends arrived and shared that Genesis had been hit and killed.

The Jones family is remembering her as a vibrant, beloved young woman who loved bringing people together.

"She was the life of the party," Jones said. "She was so young... She didn't have a chance to really live life yet. She's still a baby."

No arrests have been made in the shooting, which also killed 42-year-old Dominic Jackson of Henrico.

WATCH: Police urge public to share Richmond mass shooting videos

Investigators urged people with video of the fights that led to the mass shooting to text them to 804-546-7323 or share with the FBI here.

Officers said the shooting began as a verbal argument between two groups of people that turned physical before guns were drawn.

"This was people hanging out on the streets. Two groups of individuals started fighting," Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said.

The shooting lasted 14 seconds, according to Edwards.

"Four officers [were] there within seconds. The entire shooting took 14 seconds, so the first shot and the last shot," Edwards explained. "With under a minute, we had the first officer on scene and people start rendering aid. So really good response, but unfortunately the damage can happen so quickly — within a matter of seconds — when you have multiple shooters."

At the scene, investigators recovered more than 50 shell casings and multiple firearms. Detectives are interviewing witnesses and reviewing footage from area cameras and Flock Safety cameras.

"We have a lot of camera footage from down there. It wasn't a packed night in Shockoe Bottom. Our officers were present, but we weren't anticipating what we saw," Edwards said.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Major Crimes Detective J. DeBoard at 804-646-6795 or contact Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000. The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app can also be used. All Crime Stoppers reporting methods are anonymous.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: 9 people wounded, 2 killed, in Richmond mass shooting

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