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New information about Graduation Day shooting victim; questions remain about guns

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RICHMOND, Va. -- Shawn Jackson, the 18-year-old Huguenot High School student shot and killed after his high school graduation ceremony last week in Richmond, Virginia, had been on homebound instruction and not physically attending classes Huguenot prior to his graduation, Richmond Public School (RPS) officials confirmed.

The school district has not publicly discussed the reasons behind Jackson's homebound education plan but confirmed it was not due to disciplinary infractions. An RPS spokesperson said students who receive homebound instruction are permitted to attend the graduation ceremony for their home school.

Shawn Jackson
Shawn Jackson

Alleged Graduation Day shooter, 19-year-old Amari Pollard, who police said had an ongoing, year-long dispute with Jackson, withdrew from Richmond Public Schools in 2020.

Pollard graduated from a high school in Henrico County in 2022, according to officials with Henrico Schools.

CBS 6 is still working to confirm exactly what led up to last Tuesday’s shooting outside Altria Theater that killed Jackson and his stepfather Lorenzo "Renzo" Smith.

Richmond Police said there were four total guns recovered from the shooting scene near Monroe Park at North Laurel and West Main Street.

Police said Pollard had one gun, police confirmed. Another person, not directly involved in the shooting and who never fired gunshots, was found with the second gun, police said. 

Police have not yet said to whom the remaining two guns belonged. And while police said Pollard is charged with two counts of second-degree murder for shooting and killing Jackson and Smith, police have not yet said who fired shots that injured up to five other people outside the graduation ceremony.

Police said those questions were part of their ongoing investigation and that detectives are not yet in a position to share information publicly.

"The department understands the impact this incident has had on our community. The goal of this complex investigation is to establish the facts of what took place and deliver a solid case to the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for prosecution," said Richmond Police spokesperson Tracy Walker.

Anyone with information about or photos and video of the shooting can call Major Crimes Detective Crewell at 804-646-5324 or Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.

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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