One phone call saved countless lives and prevented a potential mass shooting during July 4 celebrations in Richmond, 维吉尼亚州, the police chief and mayor said Wednesday.
的 “英雄” tipster overheard a conversation that a mass shooting was being planned for the celebration at the Dogwood Dell amphitheater and called that information into police on July 1, said Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith during a news conference. The amphitheater 座位 2,400 人, according to the city’s website.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney speaks during a news conference on July 6, 2022.
The same day as the tip, police went to a residence at the 1000 block of Columbia Ave. where they found the weapons and ammunition. 总共, police found two assault rifles, one handgun and 223 rounds of ammunition at the home, 史密斯说.
One man was arrested Friday and police put surveillance on a second person, who was arrested Tuesday, 院长说. Both suspects have been charged with being non-citizens in possession of a firearm.
“They were planning to, 其实, shoot up our Fourth of July celebration,” 史密斯说. “We know what their intent is but we don’t have their motive, we do know that they lived at the same location.”
Both men are being held without bond at the Richmond City Jail, 史密斯说.
“Our officers quietly investigated and collaborated with their law enforcement partners and the community to stop what could’ve been a terrible day for the city of Richmond,” Mayor Levar Stoney said. “As we continue to live through an era, an age, of mass shootings and all around our country, no community is immune.”
The US Department of Homeland Security and the FBI were also involved in the investigation, 史密斯说. Police did not elaborate further on plans for the mass shooting but reiterated the importance of the tip.
“There’s no telling how many lives this hero citizen saved from one phone call,” 史密斯说. “Public safety is a responsibility of us all. One phone call saved numerous lives on the Fourth of July.”
The news out of Richmond comes just two days after a mass shooting left seven dead and dozens injured during an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, 伊利诺伊州.
The carnage in Highland Park punctuates an already bloody American spring and summer — during the past 186 天, 多于 300 mass shootings have happened in the US, 根据枪支暴力档案馆汇编的数据, a non-profit tracking such incidents.
