On Saturday, February 21st, at 2:45 am, a shooting incident occurred in the city of Richmond, the capital of Virginia, where 9 people were shot, resulting in 2 fatalities. Currently, the state police are searching for multiple suspects involved in the incident.
Genesis Jones, a 23-year-old woman from Petersburg, and Dominic Jackson, a 42-year-old man from Henrico County, were fatally shot at multiple locations during the incident.
Four of the injured were transported to a local hospital by ambulance, while three others drove themselves to receive medical treatment, totaling seven injured individuals, including three males and four females.
Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards informed reporters at a press conference that the shooting took place in the Shockoe Bottom community in the east downtown area, involving multiple suspected gunmen, with investigations ongoing.
The altercation reportedly started as a verbal dispute and escalated into physical fights and violence, leading to the shooting incident. A nearby officer witnessed street brawls and speeding vehicles.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of death and manner of death for the two fatalities. Over 50 shell casings and two firearms were discovered at the scene, with suspicions of additional weapons being used in the shooting.
Edwards advised, “My recommendation is to leave your guns at home, otherwise it will eventually result in tragedies like what we saw this morning.”
Police spokesperson James Mercante stated that no arrests have been made yet, and authorities are seeking assistance from the public in the investigation.
Prior to this shooting incident, there had been three homicides in Richmond in 2026. Edwards noted a decrease in both homicide and non-fatal shooting cases in the city.
Shockoe Bottom is a historic neighborhood in Richmond, once a major center of the slave trade before the Civil War. The area includes the 17th Street Market, the Edgar Allan Poe Museum, and the Virginia Holocaust Museum.
(Reference: Report from “USA Today”)