Lt. Governor Winsome Sears schooled the media last night on gun violence after a mass shooting at VCU claimed the lives of two people and left a third with life-threatening injuries. Four more were left with non-life-threatening injuries from gunshot wounds.
Watch:
WTVR CBS 6 Richmond released the video of Sears and gave us these excerpts:
“Even if you took all the guns off the street, from the law-abiding citizens, the others who mean harm, who mean to kill and mayhem, they’re going to have the guns,” she said. “So we have to figure out what’s going on in our communities. We have to find the right problem, so that we can come to the right solution.” She said the criminal justice system needed to be tougher on those who commit crimes.
“When do we say enough is enough? When do we say that?” she asked. “How many more people have to die before we say you’re going to jail. We’re going to lock you up and there’s not going to be any bail so that we can have safety in our communities. When does that happen? Who is in charge? Is that the mayor? Is that the chief? Who is that? Let’s start naming names.”
You should really watch the full video above because Sears is beyond fantastic. She points the finger of blame on the those in authority, like the mayor and chief of police, for not putting violent offenders in jail and keeping them there. She said that if she were in charge, these kinds of shootings would not keep happening.
As far as the shooting itself, here’s the latest:
Shawn Jackson, 18, and his father Renzo Smith, 36, were shot and killed Tuesday when someone opened fire in Monroe Park following Huguenot High School’s graduation ceremony at the Altria Theater in Richmond, Virginia.
Jackson had just participated in the high school graduation ceremony, Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said earlier Tuesday without releasing the teenager’s name.
One person was taken into custody after the shooting, Edwards said.
Amari Pollard, 19, appeared in a Richmond courtroom Wednesday morning.
He is facing two counts of second-degree murder and will be held without bond.
“We think the suspect knew at least one of the victims,” Edwards said.
He added the suspect had multiple weapons on him when he was detained.
The motive for the shooting, which injured at least five other people, remains under investigation.
It was unclear if the 19-year-old suspect was currently a high school student, Edwards added.
A 31-year-old shooting victim remains hospitalized with life-threatening gunshot wounds, Edwards said.
Four shooting victims, a 14-year-old male, a 32-year-old male, a 55-year-old male, and a 58-year-old male, suffered what were described as non-life-threatening injuries.
This sounds less like a typical mass shooting to me and more like something gang or domestic related. They say the motive is still under investigation and I suspect, when that is released, it will be something along these lines.