RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards released new details about the June 2023 mass shooting at Monroe Park that killed two people and injured five others following a high school graduation ceremony.
The release of information comes after the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney indicated they would not pursue further criminal charges related to the shooting.
"We know that there's a lot of public interest in this case, and now that future prosecutions have been ruled out, we're able to discuss some of the information we've been asked about previously," Edwards said in a seven-minute video shared with the media and public.
The shooting claimed the lives of 18-year-old graduate Shawn Jackson and his 36-year-old stepfather, Renzo Smith. Five additional people were wounded by gunfire, including four adults and one juvenile.
Amari Pollard previously pled guilty to first-degree murder and use of a firearm during the commission of murder for killing Jackson.
Police recovered four firearms from the scene, including a Glock 9mm handgun from Pollard and two weapons from Smith – a Smith and Wesson .380 handgun and a 9mm High Point that investigators determined had not been fired during the incident. A fourth weapon found in a parked vehicle was not involved in the shooting.
According to investigators, the incident began when Pollard shot at Jackson six times as Jackson exited the Huguenot High School graduation ceremony.
Two bullets were recovered from Jackson's body during autopsy, two additional bullets were found at the crime scene, and two bullets were never located.
"Although bullet fragments were recovered from the scene, they were unsuitable for comparison to any specific firearm," Edwards said.
Police determined that two juveniles also fired weapons during the incident, but the Commonwealth Attorney concluded they were acting in defense of others.
One juvenile reportedly dropped his weapon in the James River, which dive teams were unable to recover despite multiple attempts.
A search warrant at the other juvenile's home yielded 9mm handguns that did not match cartridge cases from the scene.
Both juveniles were charged with weapons law violations related to the incident.
Edwards clarified several key points about the investigation:
- No firearms were brought into the Altria Theater
- Jackson was never armed during the incident
- Smith did not shoot himself, and Pollard did not shoot Smith
- Firearms were obtained from vehicles parked near the event after the graduation ceremony
Despite extensive investigation, police were unable to recover all firearms used in the incident, and some ballistic evidence was unsuitable for comparison.
"June 6, 2023 was one of the worst days in our city's history," Edwards said. "Graduation ceremonies should be a sacred place where young people can celebrate their accomplishments with their families and loved ones without fear."
The shooting stemmed from a dispute between Pollard and Jackson regarding what police described as "a justifiable homicide of an individual that both parties knew."
Earlier this year, a lawsuit filed by Shawn Jackson's mother was dismissed.
Tameeka Jackson sought $11 million and $15 million in damages as a representative of the estates of her husband, Renzo, and son Shawn.
Jackson's lawyers made a wrongful death claim and attempted to hold the district accountable for alleged safety failures at the graduation ceremony.
In court documents, Jackson alleged that the school district was aware of "safety issues" involving her son but "did nothing to protect him."
The judge cited cases in his decision that state under current U.S. law, schools usually aren’t legally responsible for protecting students from harm by others, unless they take someone into custody or do something that directly puts the person in more danger.
In this case, the judge wrote that neither of those exceptions applied.
He wrote that the school didn’t have legal custody of the student, and while the staff may have known about threats, they didn’t take any direct action that made things worse.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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