No one charged in stepfather’s death at Huguenot High graduation shooting

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Richmond Police Department has shared new details about the 2023 Huguenot High School graduation shooting, explaining why no one has been charged in the death of Lorenzo Smith, one of two men who were killed.

It's been more than two years since the June 6, 2023, mass shooting that took place immediately after Huguenot High School's graduation ceremony.

Lorenzo "Renzo" Smith. (Photo: ABC News)

Shawn Jackson. (Photo provided to 8News.)

Seven people were shot and multiple others were injured in the resulting chaos -- including a 9-year-old girl who was hit by a fleeing driver. Two of those seven shooting victims -- 18-year-old graduate Shawn Jackson and his stepfather, 36-year-old Smith -- died as a result of their injuries.

Nineteen-year-old Amari Pollard was charged in Jackson's murder early on in the investigation, with that charge later being upgraded to first-degree murder.

Final review released by Richmond Police

On Tuesday, Aug. 12, the Richmond Police Department released a final review on the shooting.

The new details were shared after 8News' inquiries into Smith's case, following the Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney's office saying they would not be pursuing any further criminal charges related to the graduation shooting.

In the review, Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards outlined that no one has been charged with Smith's death. He explained that Jackson did not have a firearm, Smith did not shoot himself, and Pollard did not shoot Smith, meaning that Smith was shot by another person.

(Courtesy of the Richmond Police Department)

According to Edwards, two other juvenile males involved in the incident both fired shots at Amari Pollard. The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office determined both of these juveniles to be shooting "in defense of another."

The first juvenile reportedly shot toward Pollard as Smith was running in front of him. Smith was shot in the back, and the bullet that was recovered was in suitable condition for forensic comparison, but the firearm that matched was never recovered.

Edwards said the other juvenile fired a shot at a driver who was injured during the incident and drove away in his red sedan. The driver's back window was shot out, and he was grazed on the left shoulder.

At 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 29, 2023, one of the involved juveniles was arrested by Richmond Police officers for a juvenile detention order, Edwards said. The juvenile later admitted that he threw the gun he used into the James River.

Police searched the area multiple times but did not find the gun.

At 12:46 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2024, the other juvenile was arrested by a Richmond Police detective for an outstanding juvenile detention order, Edwards said. His home was searched, where they found four guns -- two of which were 9mm handguns inside a backpack, but they did not match any casings from the scene.

Both juveniles were charged with weapons violations in connection with the incident, according to Edwards.

Since both juveniles fired shots in defense of others, Virginia law holds that they cannot be criminally charged for any injuries at the scene, Edwards said. Further complicating the situation is that officials did not find all of the guns that were used during the shooting.

"Therefore, the forensic evidence could not and did not conclusively establish beyond a reasonable doubt which, if either, juvenile caused any injuries to any person during the shooting," the review said.

In addition, since Virginia law protects the privacy of juveniles, police cannot provide any further information about the two juveniles involved.

Bullet fragments recovered from others who were injured by being shot or grazed were not suitable for comparison, according to the review.

Edwards said Pollard fired at Jackson six times, with two bullets found inside Jackson during an autopsy. Two other bullets that matched Pollard's handgun were found at the scene, and two others were never found, according to Edwards.

Edwards also said there is no evidence that guns were taken into the Altria Theater, and that video evidence and eyewitness statements show that after the ceremony, the guns involved were taken from parked vehicles to Monroe Park.

Background information

Surveillance and body camera footage compiled by authorities outline the events that came before the shooting, the shooting itself and its aftermath.

In some of that footage, Smith can be seen going to his car near the end of the graduation ceremony, with witnesses saying he retrieved two guns when he did so.

His wife and Jackson's mother, Tameeka Jackson-Smith, testified that he did not go to the car for that purpose -- instead, he went there to smoke, but ended up grabbing the guns.

Following the ceremony, Smith and Jackson can be seen moving into Monroe Park with other graduates and loved ones. They disappear off-screen -- meaning the crucial moments building up to the shooting are not captured on camera.

Still from FBI footage of the Huguenot High School graduation shooting, showing the seconds leading up to gunfire. (Photo: FBI)

When they reappear, then-19-year-old Amari Pollard can be seen running through a crowd, with Jackson and Smith seemingly running behind him. Jackson changes course and ends up in front of Pollard. Pollard then shoots at an unarmed Jackson as Smith remains behind Pollard with his gun out.

What prompted the shooting was contested at trial. Pollard testified that he had feared for his life and that Jackson had threatened to "crush him" before the shooting took place.

ALL COVERAGE: Huguenot High School Graduation Shooting

The compiled footage shows Pollard encountering officers in the shooting's aftermath, visibly panicked and distraught. He can be heard saying he "thought they were going to kill [him.]"

Amari Pollard, as seen in body camera footage immediately following the deadly Huguenot High School graduation shooting. (Photo: FBI)

Other witnesses told a different story, saying that Jackson had potentially gotten into an altercation with another graduate prior to the shooting. Another said that Pollard flashed the gun at Jackson before shooting him six times.

Pollard later pleaded guilty to Jackson's murder -- though he is making efforts to appeal his conviction, with his attorney previously saying he misled Pollard.