RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond City Councilor Katherine Jordan is calling for a special meeting to discuss the alleged July 4 mass shooting plot Richmond Police claim to have stopped.
Jordan, who represents the city's 2nd District, was standing on the platform next to Police Chief Gerald Smith on July 6 during a press conference when he made the announcement that two Guatemalan men were arrested aftera tipster told officers they were planning an attack at an Independence Day Celebration.
Chief Smith initially told local and national media that Dogwood Dell was the intended mass shooting target. But prosecutors with the Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney's Office later said in court they had no evidence to support that claim.
The U.S. Attorney's Office then took over the case.
One man was only charged with illegal re-entry into the country. The other man was charged with possession of firearms by a non-U.S. citizen.
As residents, neighborhood leaders, community members, and lawmakers raised questions and concerns about conflicting information surrounding the alleged plot, Smith said he was "closing the discussion" and refusing to answer any more questions.
But in a newsletter to her constituents, Jordan acknowledged that "increasing questions" need to be answered.
"Any event of this magnitude should be scrutinized, and I am among those who believe the discussion is not only reasonable but imperative. I have been, and will continue to listen and uplift community concerns and work with my colleagues to find answers to what are legitimate questions," Jordan said.
Though Richmond City Council is in August recess, Jordan said she and some of her colleagues have asked for a special meeting to discuss the issue as a body and then share more "substantive information" with the public.
"While we wait for clarification on the investigation, there are process and communication structures the City must improve," Jordan said.
When asked which communication structures need improvement, Jordan's liaison responded, "Before commenting on what needs to be improved, Councilor Jordan needs to understand the basis for our current standard operating procedures. Since that conversation will cover strategic processes, it will be discussed in closed session, something she requested shortly after the press conference."
Jordan's liaison said when she decided to attend the press conference, the only information she was given was an initial press release written by Richmond Police about the alleged incident. He said the Councilwoman wanted to publicly thank the tipster and officers who confiscated illegal weapons.
In the recent newsletter, Jordan added, "Lastly, while we await that discussion, I remain thankful for the citizen who 'saw something and said something' as well as the responding and investigating officers whose work led to the removal of multiple firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from the streets."
Jordan's statement came after several other elected officials spoke out about the alleged plot, including U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a city resident and former mayor of Richmond.
"If there are facts suggesting that this really was a potential mass tragedy, those need to be put on the table," Kaine told CBS 6. "City officials didn't have to put it on the table at the outset. They could have just said, 'we've arrested some people.' But they put it on the table that we've arrested them, and this was going to be a mass shooting incident. I do think the community is owed some answers about well, was that accurate, or isn't it?"
U.S. Congressman Donald McEachin, who represents Richmond in the U.S. House of Representatives, also sent CBS 6 a statement:
"I believe strongly in transparency and the public's right to know. Therefore, I think, whenever possible, information should be shared with the public, especially in a situation like this that was certainly frightening.”
And State Senator Joe Morrissey, who represents parts of Richmond in the General Assembly, criticized Chief Smith for shutting down the conversation.
"He's a city official. As a city official, you do not have the luxury of telling people that the discussion on this matter has ended. That is just unacceptable," Morrissey said.
Morrissey, who ran against Mayor Levar Stoney in the 2016 mayoral election, said he disapproved of Stoney withholding texts and emails related to the mass shooting plot that were requested by CBS 6 through the Freedom of Information Act.
The Mayor's Office said those communications could not be released because they were a part of the "mayor's working papers" under Virginia code. The administration said its policy is to never release working papers, regardless of the subject.
"For the mayor to say, 'Well, I'm keeping these documents because they're working papers' is preposterous -- absolutely preposterous. The code did not say he was prohibited from showing it. Let me tell you if those texts or emails showed that he and the chief legitimately thwarted a mass shooting, not only would they have been released, they would have been mounted on cardboard and displayed prominently," Morrissey said.
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.
