13 Shot at Graduation Parties in Virginia and Texas, 1 Fatally

Gunfire kills 20-year-old after fights break out
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 4, 2022 4:35 PM CDT
More Than a Dozen Shot at Graduation Parties in 2 States
Stock photo   (Getty Images/stockbusters)

More than a dozen people were shot, one fatally, at graduation parties in Virginia and Texas on Friday night. Gunfire erupted during a gathering in central Virginia, about 15 miles south of Richmond, police said Saturday, killing a 20-year-old man and wounding seven other young people. Two separate fights among attendees of the mostly outdoor party were reported, Chesterfield County Police Maj. Brad Badgerow said at a news conference, the AP reports. It wasn't clear whether the shootings were part of a gunfight with multiple shooters, Badgerow said, though he noted officers had recovered more than 50 casings of different calibers. "It looks like there were at least four different weapons that were fired," he said.

Five other shooting victims had already left the party before police arrived, according to a news release that said their injuries appeared to not be life-threatening. Two other people were injured when they were struck by a vehicle as they fled the shooting, police said. Those injured ranged in age from 16 to 21. The party, which had been advertised on social media, drew 50 to 100 people, Badgerow said.

In West Texas, authorities said five teens, ages 16 to 18, were in the hospital Saturday after gunfire broke out at an overnight high school graduation party. Two of them were in critical condition, per the AP. Someone began firing into the crowd after a fight broke out between two groups at the party in Socorro, a town on the Mexican border near El Paso, the police chief said. As many as 100 people were at the party, per KVIA. Some of the wounded were struck multiple times, police said. (More shooting stories.)

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