RICHMOND, Va. -- Two men involved in a shooting near VCU’s Monroe Park campus Tuesday are both former Virginia Union University football players, according to Crime Insider sources.
That affiliation with the football team helped Richmond Police investigate the afternoon shooting.
The men were arguing with each other inside a barber shop on South Belvidere Street that afternoon, when the argument spilled onto the sidewalk and shots were fired.
Investigators said one of the men opened fire on the other, shooting him in the chest.
The argument was over marijuana, Crime Insider sources indicated.
Workers at the barber shop knew the men as VUU football players and shared that information with police.
That information aided police in identifying both the shooting suspect and victim.
While CBS 6 has learned the identity of both men, we have chosen not to release their names at this time.
The men, according to Crime Insider sources, were on Virginia Union's most recent football roster.
"We identified a male with a life-threatening gunshot wound,” Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham said after the shooting.
The victim was rushed to VCU Medical Center, and the suspect was caught a few blocks away, police said, with a gun still in his hand.
"A ‘lookout’ was provided by a citizen who observed the suspect running,” said Durham. “VCU police were able to stop him and he's now at police headquarters being interviewed."
Evidence was scattered along the sidewalk in front of 108 South Belvidere, as those living in the apartments above waited while forensics and detectives processed the scene.
"Very surprising,” said Ved Jain, who owns a building nearby. “This has never happened before.”
Jain said he installed cameras a few years ago to help police combat crime, and will gladly turn over the tapes if it means helping police in their investigation.
He said the incident showed disregard for the innocent lives all around.
“Police asked me to put cameras up so I spent money to put the cameras outside," Jain said.
The VCU area will be buzzing with activity over the next few days as high school graduations are underway at the Siegel Center on West Broad Street.
