RICHMOND, Va. — A man is in custody after police say he shot a mother and her two children, one of them his daughter, in a fit of rage inside a Highland Park home Tuesday morning.
Richmond Police took 41-year-old Levy Nelson into custody in Henrico County Tuesday evening. He is charged with malicious wounding and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, with additional charges expected.
Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said 18-year-old Zion Terry died from his injuries. Terry's 14-year-old sister, Nelson's daughter, was shot in the head and remains hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Their 38-year-old mother, Nelson's girlfriend, is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.
Full Press Conference: Arrest made after children and their mother shot in Richmond home
Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said detectives used Flock license plate readers and community tips to track Nelson's truck across the East End.
The pursuit stretched from Jan Road near White Oak Village Mall to Laburnum Avenue near Gay Avenue. During the chase, Nelson rammed three police cruisers.
Officers initially responded to the 3100 block of 5th Avenue around 9:50 a.m. for reports of a shooting.
Edwards said Nelson does have a criminal history, but police had never responded to that home for domestic violence in the past.
"That doesn't mean that there wasn't previous domestic violence," Edwards said. "If you know someone in your family or someone you love that has experienced domestic violence, they need to get help. They need to start by involving police departments, but there's so many other social services that can participate, so we can avoid tragedies like this in the future."
Terry was a John Marshall High School student.
During Tuesday night's update, Edwards said Terry's bright future was "snuffed out by evil."
"I don't know how else to say it," Edwards said.
"We cannot accept a reality where children carry the burden of gun violence in places meant to nurture and protect them," Richmond Superintendent Jason Kamras wrote. "There are no words to fully capture the depth of sorrow felt by all who have been impacted, except to remind the students and staff who may be struggling that you are not alone. Tomorrow, we will provide on-site counseling support at each campus to help our students and staff process this tremendous loss."
If you or a loved one are dealing with a domestic violence situation, help is available. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
