RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond School Board member Dr. Shonda Harris-Muhammed took a moment to acknowledge her surroundings, as she met with CBS 6 for an interview outside the Altria Theater.
“It’s a bit difficult. This is the first time that I have entered the space of the Altria since June the sixth," she said.
Harris-Muhammed was among the crowd of parents, students, and other school leaders in Monroe Park on June 6 when seven people were shot, and many more injured during the chaos, following Huguenot High School's graduation.
Two people died, including 18-year-old Shawn Jackson, who had just received his diploma prior to his death, and Jackson's stepfather Renzo Smith.
Though the criminal investigation and prosecution remain ongoing, only one person is currently charged.
Amari Pollard, 19, was charged with the alleged premeditated murder of Jackson.
Charges are still unaccounted for in the deadly shooting of Smith and the nonfatal shootings of five additional victims.
"It's like a grieving process for me, where I'm in that next level, that next phase of what happens next in order for me to heal," Harris-Muhammed said.
She added that part of the "next step" includes digging into the events that led up to the shooting.
While Richmond Public Schools has completed an internal review into the shooting, Harris-Muhammed is skeptical of the findings.
“It’s a conflict of interest for me to have our superintendent do a thorough investigation of what happened on June the sixth. I firmly stand in the belief that we need a third-party investigation," Harris-Muhammed said. "I believe that some of the information that he has been provided is not accurate, and because that information is not accurate and he's presenting it to us, I am providing our superintendent mercy and grace."
She's proposing that the school board contracts an outside company to investigate the school division's side of the incident, though she has not yet determined a cost estimate for the effort.
One of the concerns she'd like addressed through a third-party investigation is the decision to allow Jackson to graduate.
RPS said Jackson was on homebound instruction at the time, meaning he was not physically taking classes in person. RPS has not publicly confirmed the exact reasons, though officials did confirm it was not due to disciplinary reasons.
However, CBS 6 obtained an email from September 2022 in which a school employee stated part of the reason Jackson was on homebound instruction was due to "the threat of neighborhood violence stemming from his association with another student that was involved in a crime."
According to a search warrant affidavit filed in Richmond Circuit Court, police said the graduation shooting was carried out over an "ongoing feud that Shawn Jackson had with several individuals" tied to a shooting in 2020 in which a person was killed by "associates of Jackson."
Harris-Muhammed said CBS 6's recent reporting on those developments sparked new concerns for her.
“We have to ensure that the information that is presented to us is the full story, and when that information came out, of course, it created another tier level of questioning," she said.
RPS' homebound instruction manual states in bold underline that students receiving homebound instruction "MAY NOT be on school property or attend school-sponsored activities at any time during the time approved for services without the permission of the school principal or his/her designee."
In Jackson's case, RPS' internal report showed that a Huguenot school employee, acting as the principal's designee, approved his participation at graduation.
“Where was the administration at Huguenot High School when determining if the student should participate in graduation or not? Like what was the role? That needs to be clear," Harris-Muhammed said.
In the internal investigation, RPS acknowledged the "district does not currently have a consistent approach to assessing whether students should attend graduation in person" and needs a "clearer and more rigorous protocol to make these decisions going forward." RPS wants to mandate in school board policy that principals be involved in approving all graduation participants.
Harris-Muhammed also wants a third-party review of the safety protocols on graduation day.
RPS' internal report said that all guests went through metal detectors at the front entrance of the Altria. It said all students, but not all faculty members, went through metal detectors at the side door, according to a district official who manned the side door.
There are still two guns that were recovered from the crime scene that are unaccounted for because police have not said to whom they belonged. However, police said they "don't believe" firearms were inside the Altria.
“Was every person who came through that side door wanded? Yes or no? Provide the evidence. We don’t have the evidence of that right now," Harris-Muhammed said.
When Harris-Muhammed served as school board chair last year, she publicly announced that she had "no trust" in Superintendent Jason Kamras.
When asked if trust issues played a role in her reasoning to push for a third-party investigation, she answered, "Yessir. That is correct."
"We need an auditor to come in and go through everything that, as a school board, we cannot see. That is courageous. That is going to stomp on some feelings. That is going to open some wounds, but my life was at stake. Not only mine but hundreds of others," Harris-Muhammed said.
She said she plans to formally introduce the proposal at the next school board meeting on August 7.
CBS 6 reached out to the RPS administration for a response to Harris-Muhammed's concerns, and a spokesperson said, "We do not have any comments to share at this time in advance of Monday's School Board Meeting."
CBS 6 also reached out to School Board Chair Stephanie Rizzi and did not hear back as of Wednesday evening.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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