RICHMOND, Va. – UPDATE - Sunday, April 29
Richmond police have arrested an 18-year-old student in connection with a shooting Thursday in the parking lot of George Wythe High School in Richmond, NBC 12 reported.
Richmond police told NBC 12 that David Gutierrez is charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
According to detectives, Gutierrez is the primary suspect in the shooting, which sent two students to the hospital.
He was taken into custody with the help of the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force, Richmond police told the station.
Interim Chief Rick Edwards told NBC 12 that he advised extra police officers to patrol the area as students return to school on Monday.
In addition, Richmond Police are set to hold a “Vigil for Peace” at 5 p.m. Monday evening at Belt Atlantic Apartments, the station reported.
ORIGINAL STORY
Two students were shot in a parking lot near George Wythe High School in Richmond on Thursday, NBC 12 reported.
Richmond Police told NBC 12 that one of the students was found in a wooded area near the parking lot with gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital.
We’re told the second student who was also shot took himself to the hospital and is expected to recover.
“We’re trying to get to the bottom of what happened today,” Acting Police Chief Rick Edwards told the station.
Richmond Police held a press conference outside the school and said they got a call at 12:02 p.m. about shots fired.
Police said an officer got to the scene within a minute, and in the following three minutes, police found the first victim.
According to authorities, Richmond Police, forensic teams, and the ATF stayed at the scene collecting evidence for hours following the incident.
As of Thursday evening, there had been no arrests made, according to NBC 12.
“The suspects are still at large so, obviously, that’s still concerning for us, but we don’t believe there’s any other threats to any other schools at this point,” Edwards said.
Edwards also believes there’s “one shooter, but other people involved,” the station said, but no suspect information was available.
NBC 12 reports that the school was put on lockdown after the shooting, and all after-school activities are also canceled.
School officials sent out alerts on Thursday evening, noting that the shooting happened in the school parking lot, the station reported.