Virginia Graduation Shooting Victims Named as Dad and 18-Year-Old Son
A young father and his teenage son were named Wednesday as the two people killed when a gunman opened fire at a high school graduation ceremony in Virginia.
Shawn Jackson, 18, and his dad Renzo Smith, 36, died during the attack that left at least five others injured Tuesday on Virginia Commonwealth University’s Monroe Park campus, according to WTVR. Charles Willis, a community advocate who runs United Communities Against Crime, released the victims’ names to the outlet on behalf of their grieving loved ones, adding that the family “asked that the Richmond community keep them in your prayers.”
Earlier reports on Tuesday confirmed that a father and son had died in the attack, and Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said the teenage victim had just received his diploma before he was killed. Police have not yet confirmed the names of the deceased as of Wednesday morning.