2 dead, 5 wounded in shooting at Richmond, VA high school graduation

Two people were fatally shot and five others were wounded after a gunman opened fire into a crowd outside a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, Virginia on Tuesday, authorities said. 

The 19-year-old suspect, armed with four handguns, opened fire at the crowd that was leaving a theater on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University that had hosted the Huguenot High School commencement ceremony at around 5:15 p.m.

An 18-year-old male student and a 36-year-old man were killed during the shooting. The wounded included a 31-year-old man who is suffering from life-threatening injuries, and four males aged 14, 32, 55, and 58, reported Reuters. 

In addition to those who were wounded by gunshots, at least 12 others sustained injuries while running away from the scene, including some that fell. One of the victims included a 9-year-old girl that was struck by a car. The victims were transported to VCU Medical Center.

The identities of those injured and of the suspect were not immediately released. 

"When you have a crowd like this, innocent people are going to be caught up in the mayhem, and that's what happened today. " Edwards said during a press conference.

"Obviously, this should have been a safe space...It's just incredibly tragic that someone decided to bring a gun to this incident and rain terror on our community," he added. 

The suspect was arrested and is expected to be charged with two counts of second-degree murder, as well as other offenses, said interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards. 

It is unclear what the motive behind the shooting was. However, police believe that the suspect knew at least one of the victims. 

"We’re going to do everything we can to bring the individuals involved in this to justice," Mayor Levar Stoney said during the news conference. "This should not be happening anywhere.