Police explain why no charges were filed over one victim's death in Huguenot graduation shooting

Two unnamed juveniles who fired guns during the 2023 shooting outside of a graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School won’t be charged for any injuries they potentially caused after officials concluded they acted in “defense of others,” according to Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards.

On Tuesday, Edwards released what police described as a “final review” of the chaotic shooting that left two people dead and five wounded when gunfire broke out in Monroe Park after the graduation held at the Altria Theater. The chief said his department is now free to release more details because no more charges are expected and “pending litigation” has been resolved.

In a nearly seven-and-a-half-minute video, the police chief presents a series of slides outlining investigative details and video stills and footage of the shootings, including information on guns, bullet fragments and casings that were recovered and the locations of the four people who fired shots.

Former Richmond Public Schools student Amari Pollard, who was 19 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to killing Shawn Jackson, 18, at the end of his February 2024 trial. While he later sought to withdraw that plea, a judge denied his request. State records also indicate the appeals court upheld his conviction this June. 

However, no one has been charged with the killing of Renzo Smith, 36, Jackson’s stepfather. 

Edwards noted that Smith — who also fired a gun during the shooting —  ran in front of one of the juveniles firing at Pollard. Police recovered a bullet that struck Smith in the back, Edwards said, but RPD has been unable to locate the firearm it was shot from. 

Though police could not definitively say who fired the shot that killed Smith, Edwards stressed that Smith was not shot by Pollard and didn’t shoot himself with his own gun.

Diagrams presented by RPD show a chaotic scene outside the Altria Theater in downtown Richmond where the graduation was held. At least 30 cartridge casings were documented at the scene in the shooting’s wake. Of those, five came from Pollard and eight from Smith. 

The two juveniles were also collectively responsible for 17 of the casings, and Edwards said it was possible that others “may have been lost in drains or even caught up in the tire treads of passing-by cars.” 

While officers recovered handguns from a search of one of the juvenile’s houses, they did not match any casings outside the Altria, and the other juvenile told police he had dropped his gun in the James River. Dive teams “were unable” to find that weapon, according to the police chief. Both young people were charged with violating weapons laws. 

Because the commonwealth’s attorney concluded the juveniles fired at the scene in defense of others, Edwards said the department is not releasing their names. 

“The forensic evidence could not and did not conclusively establish beyond a reasonable doubt which, if either, juvenile caused the injuries to any person during the shooting,” he said. “Since Virginia law protects the privacy of juveniles, law enforcement cannot provide any further information about the two juveniles involved.” 

Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin said her office didn’t let the juveniles off the hook entirely.  

“Every individual, whether a juvenile or an adult,  who fired a gun and survived was charged with every crime that could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. ” McEachin said in a written statement. “Virginia law prohibits my office from providing any further information about any juveniles who were charged with criminal offenses based upon their actions in Monroe Park.”

McEachin praised the police effort to provide more detail about the investigation.

Prior to RPD’s release Wednesday, the primary public sources of information about the graduation shooting were evidence presented at trial and a report prepared by the Sands Anderson law firm for Richmond Public Schools. Although the school division attempted to keep that report private, a Richmond judge ordered its release along with more than 1,000 pages of documents and interview transcripts. 

Among the issues that report addressed was whether or not the security procedures used at the Altria before the graduation ceremony had allowed guns to be brought into the venue. 

On Wednesday, Edwards said there was “no evidence” any firearms were brought into the theater or that Jackson was armed during the incident.

“Video evidence and witness statements from involved individuals established that firearms were obtained from vehicles parked near the event at the conclusion of the ceremony and prior to any contact in Monroe Park,” he said. 

In the wake of the shooting, several individuals, including Jackson’s mother and one of the people who was injured, filed lawsuits against school officials. 

The suits brought by Tameeka Jackson against the Richmond School Board were dismissed last month. Another action brought by injured bystander Travis Johnson was filed this June. 

Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org. Graham Moomaw and Victoria A. Ifatusin contributed to this report.