2 Killed, 5 Injured at Virginia Graduation Shooting

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Facts

  • On Tuesday, two people were killed and five others injured when a man armed with four handguns opened fire at a crowd outside a high school graduation ceremony in Virginia.1
  • A 19-year-old suspect, believed to have known at least one of the victims, was taken into custody and arraigned Wednesday on two charges of second-degree murder, according to the city's interim police chief Rick Edwards. He's being held without bail.2
  • Law enforcement initially arrested two individuals but later found only one was part of the shooting, which took place outside Monroe Park, where Huguenot High School graduates were taking photos with their families.3
  • The fatally shot included an 18-year-old student who had graduated earlier in the day and his 36-year-old stepfather, Edwards said.2
  • Among the wounded, five were shot, while several others were reportedly hospitalized with injuries sustained in the shooting's aftermath. Public schools were closed on Wednesday, and all graduation ceremonies were canceled for the rest of the week.4
  • The mass shooting – defined as four or more people shot or killed in a single incident, excluding the perpetrator – was the country's 279th in the first 157 days of 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive.5

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2CNN (a), 3CNN (b), 4New York Times, and 5Reuters.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Guardian. The latest shooting is a depressing reminder of the reality of 21st-century America, a country with an average of more than one mass shooting per week. Gun violence isn't so prevalent in any industrialized country outside of war and conflict zones as in the US. Yet as the GOP lacks the political will to support decisive gun control measures to protect US citizens, the killings will continue.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Mail. Depriving law-abiding citizens of their constitutional right to own firearms will not end gun violence in the US, as those who want to kill will find a way to get their hands on guns, even with stricter gun control measures. The underlying problem has social causes, including gangs, which is why policymakers and society must step in to address the issue effectively.

Predictions