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High school student and relative killed in Virginia graduation shooting

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High school student and relative killed in Virginia graduation shooting


A high school student and a relative were killed on Tuesday evening at a mass shooting at the young man’s graduation event in Richmond, Virginia, where five other people were shot and wounded.

Gunfire rang out outside a downtown theater, where the graduation ceremony had just ended, causing hundreds of attendees to flee in panic, weep and clutch their children, authorities and witnesses said.

A 19-year-old suspect tried to escape on foot but was arrested.

On Wednesday, the two killed were named as Shawn Jackson, 18, and his father Lorenzo Smith, 36.

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The suspect was named as Amari Pollard and was arraigned on Wednesday morning on two counts of second-degree murder, Colette McEachin, Richmond’s top prosecutor, said.

The Richmond interim police chief, Rick Edwards, said Pollard knew Jackson. He said the two had been embroiled in a dispute for more than a year, although the nature of the conflict was still being investigated.

Jackson had just received his diploma at the graduation ceremony and walked to a nearby park with his father to reunite with the rest of their family when the shooting started, said Tameeka Jackson-Smith, Jackson’s mother and Smith’s wife. She said Smith was Jackson’s father, while Edwards later referred to Smith as his stepfather.

Jackson-Smith told the Associated Press that her and Smith’s nine-year-old daughter was hit by a car in the chaos that erupted afterward. The girl was treated for leg injuries and released from the hospital, Jackson-Smith said.

Jackson-Smith said the family had watched the graduation, then got separated in a large crowd after they walked outside. “He was so happy – oh my God – because he got to graduate. He worked hard,” she said of her son.

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She said she was walking toward her husband and son when she saw a man run up behind them and start shooting.

“He was just running and shooting. I had my daughter beside me and I saw her get hit by a car. My niece almost got hit by a car. I was trying to grab them,” she said.

Edwards said police believe Pollard attended the graduation, then went outside, where he had some kind of “interaction” with Pollard, and then then went to his car to retrieve a handgun.

Five others were wounded by the gunfire outside the state capital’s city-owned Altria Theater, which is across the street from a large, grassy park and in the middle of the Virginia Commonwealth University campus.

The theater is commonly used for school graduations and on Tuesday afternoon it was the the local Huguenot high school’s turn. On Wednesday morning, discarded bright yellow sashes that had been worn by teens over their graduation gowns were still lying on the ground.

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At least 12 others were injured or treated for anxiety due to the mayhem, according to police.

“As they heard the gunfire, it was obviously chaos,” Edwards said. “We had hundreds of people in Monroe Park, so people scattered. It was very chaotic at the scene.

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“It’s just incredibly tragic that someone decided to bring a gun to this incident and rain terror on our community.”

Six people were brought to the VCU medical center and their conditions ranged from serious to critical late on Tuesday, the VCU health system spokesperson, Mary Kate Brogan, said.

Richmond’s mayor, Levar Stoney, vowed to ensure anyone responsible faces justice.

“This should not be happening anywhere,” Stoney said.

Officers inside the theater, where the graduation ceremony for Huguenot high school had been taking place, heard gunfire around 5.15pm and radioed to police stationed outside, who found multiple victims, Edwards said.

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School board member Jonathan Young told Richmond TV station WWBT that graduates and other attendees were leaving the building when gunshots outside sent people into a panic, some of whom tried to get back inside.

“It materialized in a stampede,” he said.

The Richmond public schools superintendent, Jason Kamras, said: “I’m just tired of seeing people get shot, our kids get shot. And I beg of the entire community to stop, to just stop.”

The mass shooting, the latest in a nation increasingly braced for them, prompted calls for reform.

“The gun violence epidemic is a public health crisis that we must address,” US Representative Jennifer McClellan, a Democrat whose district includes Richmond, said in a statement. “We cannot continue to live in fear. We must address the root causes of gun violence and pass common sense gun safety policies that protect our communities.”

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Virginia woman charged in alleged murder-for-hire plot

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Virginia woman charged in alleged murder-for-hire plot


A Virginia woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a murder-for-hire plot, according to the Henry County Sheriff’s office.

Gennevieve McGhee, 44, was allegedly captured via audio and video evidence in the meticulous planning of a murder for hire, the sheriff’s office said.

McGhee is accused of meeting with a confidential source at her residence in Ridgeway, Virginia. The source was acting under law enforcement direction and utilizing a recording device to capture evidence.

TEXAS INFLUENCER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT

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Henry County Sheriff’s Office charged Gennevieve McGhee, 44, with criminal solicitation of murder following an investigation that revealed her alleged involvement in planning a murder for hire. (Henry County Sheriff’s Office)

She allegedly discussed detailed instructions on payment arrangements and instructions for carrying out a robbery and murder.

McGhee is charged with criminal solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit a felony.

INDIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL CHARGED IN MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT ON SIKH SEPARATIST LEADER IN NEW YORK CITY

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Gennevieve McGhee, 44, is charged with criminal solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit a felony. (iStock)

McGhee was taken into custody by deputies from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday and is being held at the Henry County Adult Detention Center with no bond.

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The case remains under review by the Henry County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. 

Additional information on the case is not available at this time, officials said.



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How to Watch & Listen to West Virginia vs. No. 24 Arizona

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How to Watch & Listen to West Virginia vs. No. 24 Arizona


The West Virginia Mountaineers (4-2) will meet the No. 24 Arizona Wildcats in the third place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis midseason tournament for the sixth meeting between the two programs.

West Virginia vs. Arizona Series History

Arizona leads 2-3

Last Meeting: March 28, 2008 (NCAA Tournament) WVU 75-65

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When: Friday, November 29

Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas, Imperial Arena (3,900)

Tip-off: 3:00 p.m. EST

Stream: ESPN2

Announcers: Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli

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Radio: Tony Caridi (PBP), Brad Howe (analyst) Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College(Radio affiliates)

WVU Game Notes

– West Virginia was scheduled to play in the 2020 Battle 4 Atlantis. The tournament was moved to Sioux Falls, S.D., due to COVID, and the Mountaineers won the renamed Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic.

– WVU is 45-16 in in-season tournaments since 2007.

– With a win over No. 3 Gonzaga, WVU defeated a Top 5 AP team for the second consecutive season. Last season, the Mountaineers downed No. 3 Kansas in Morgantown, 91-85.

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– Prior to the overtime win over No. 3 Gonzaga, WVU had lost six straight overtime games.

– This is WVU’s fourth trip outside the United States and Puerto Rico to play a regular season game. WVU played in Cancun in 2013 and 2019 and opened the season in Germany in the 2017 Armed Forces Classic.

– West Virginia is the only team in the country that has two players on the same team who averaged more than 20 points per game from last season — Tucker DeVries (21.6 ppg) and Jayden Stone (20.8 ppg)

– West Virginia is 201-55 against nonconference teams in regular season games in the last 21 seasons.

– The Mountaineers have posted a winning nonconference record in 31 of the last 32 seasons.

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– WVU is 265-99 in its last 362 games against unranked teams, including winners of 148 of its last 180 at the WVU Coliseum.

– This is the 116th season and 122nd year overall for WVU basketball, which began in 1903.

– Darian DeVries, who led Drake to six consecutive 20-win seasons and has a career .731 winning percentage as a head coach, was named the 23rd head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University on March 24, 2024.

– DeVries has a record of 154-57 (.731) in seven seasons as a head coach, including a 59-16 (.787) mark in the last two-plus seasons.

– This past August, the men’s basketball team went to Italy for a 10-day tour and won all three of its games against international competition.

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– West Virginia returns just 2.8 percent of its scoring from last season’s team (Ofri Naveh).

– The Mountaineers are led by a pair of transfers in Tucker DeVries (Drake) and Javon Small (Oklahoma State). Last season, DeVries was named an Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention selection, while Small earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.

– In addition, Eduardo Andre (Fresno State), Joseph Yesufu (Washington State), Sencire Harris (Illinois), Amani Hansberry (Illinois) and Jayden Stone (Detroit Mercy) will all see considerable action this season.

– Tucker DeVries was named to the 20-member Julius Erving Preseason Watch List, giving annually to the nation’s top small forward.

– Tucker DeVries was named to the preseason Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List.

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– Tucker DeVries was named to the John R. Wooden Award Top 50 Preseason Watch List.



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NBA Draft: West Virginia Duo Produce Big Numbers in Upset Over No. 3 Gonzaga

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NBA Draft: West Virginia Duo Produce Big Numbers in Upset Over No. 3 Gonzaga


West Virginia got off to a hot start at the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis by knocking off undefeated Gonzaga 86-78 in overtime in their first-round matchup. The Mountaineers have received strong performances to begin the season from two upperclassman transfers: Javon Small and Tucker DeVries.

With each player delivering standout performances, it’s time to start considering them seriously as draft prospects.

Let’s take a closer look at their outings in this big win and dive into their seasons as a whole up to this point.

Tucker DeVries had a big game for West Virginia

Nov 27, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Tucker DeVries (12) drives to the basket as Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Michael Ajayi (1) defends during the first half at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Tucker DeVries finished this game with a stuffed stat line of 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and four blocks. This level of versatility clearly illustrates the type of player he is, as he looked solid in nearly every aspect of the game. He has good positional size at 6-foot-7 and plays with a very high IQ on both ends of the floor. His defensive impact was especially noticeable, as he consistently made impactful plays, including a steal that led to free throws to tie the game at the end of regulation. DeVries finished the second half on a 5-0 run, which gave West Virginia momentum to capture the game in overtime.

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DeVries has had a solid all-around season leading up to this performance, averaging 13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, two assists, 2.5 steals and 1.3 blocks, with shooting splits of 36.6%/40.7%/81.3%. If he were to be drafted following this season, it would likely be in the second round, but his versatile play style is very promising.

Javon Small has impressed for West Virginia

Nov 27, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Javon Small (7) shoots during the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Javon Small led the Mountaineers in scoring during this upset victory, contributing 31 points on impressive shooting splits of 50%/40%/81.8%. In addition to his scoring, he also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out two assists and added one steal and one block. Small is a quick and slippery guard who stayed in attack mode throughout the game, translating well into fast-break opportunities. Rarely staying in one spot on offense, Small kept the floor spaced and forced his defender to fight through traffic to keep up with him. His offensive approach was patient as he waited for his defender to get off balance before attacking.

Before this game, Small had averaged 15.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, four assists and three steals. He leads the Mountaineers in points, assists, and steals, while providing a noticeable spark on a nightly basis. Small is now at his third school in four years, with similar statistics in each of his previous two seasons. As an older guard, it is not guaranteed that he will be drafted, but if this level of productivity continues throughout the season, he may receive an opportunity to prove himself at the next level.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.





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