Richmond bishop condemns deadly, ‘callous act’ of gun violence at graduation ceremony June 8, 2023By Maria Wiering OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Gun Violence, News, World News “Words fail to fully express the trauma so many experienced yesterday, and the lives crushed because of it,” Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Virginia, said in a statement the day after a June 6 shooting outside a Richmond public high school graduation ceremony. The shooter killed a graduating senior and his stepfather and wounded five others. Additional bystanders were injured in the melee. “I am immensely grateful for our law enforcement community who, despite the chaos, were there to respond swiftly and bring order to a confusing scene,” Bishop Knestout said in the June 7 statement. A 19-year-old suspect is in police custody. “Seven months after an act of gun violence took the lives of three University of Virginia college students, we, in our diocese, are faced with another wrenching act of violence,” he said, referring to a University of Virginia student who shot and killed three of the university’s football players Nov. 13. The June 6 shooting took place in a park outside a theater that hosted Huguenot High School’s graduation ceremony, two blocks from the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. “This callous act and subsequent chaotic, terrorizing scene occurred just yards away from our Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, causing fear and pandemonium for so many leaving the ceremony,” Bishop Knestout said. “What should have been a day of celebration for families and of student achievements — instead is marred by gun violence.” “In this month of June, in which we celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, may our Lord bring consolation and healing to the lives affected and suffering because of yesterday’s violence,” he said. “May he hold their broken hearts in his.” Read More Gun Violence Jordan reels after terrorist attack on church, King vows ‘harshest retaliation’ Oregon bishops offer prayers following Silver Rail school shooting Canadian Catholics stand with Jewish brethren following synagogue attack in Ontario Catholic schools’ new year sees safety, security and budget impacts after school shooting Annunciation leaders guide wounded community toward peace 1 year after school shooting Nearly 1,500 guns collected since 2023 as Archdiocese of Baltimore’s buyback continues to grow Copyright © 2023 OSV News Print
