Police in Richmond, Va., said they thwarted a mass shooting planned for July 4 after a “hero citizen” tipped them off about two suspects, leading to the seizure of three firearms and ammunition from a home before Independence Day.
During a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith said a man, who was not identified, was involved in a conversation about the planned mass shooting and reported the information to police on Friday, July 1.
Police quickly investigated the residence and saw “obvious evidence” that corroborated what the witness said, Smith added. Richmond police officers were let into the home and seized two assault rifles, a handgun and 223 rounds of ammunition.
The police chief has repeatedly said the “hero citizen” who alerted them saved countless lives.
“One phone call saved many lives on the Fourth of July,” Smith said at the news conference. “The success of this particular investigation can only be matched by the horrors the rest of the country has witnessed. There’s no telling how many lives this hero citizen saved with one phone call.”
Officials who also worked with the FBI on the case arrested and charged Julio Alvarado-Dubon with being a non-US citizen and possessing a firearm on Friday. A second suspect, Rolman Balacarcel, was monitored by police over the holiday weekend and arrested and charged on the same charge on Tuesday.
Both suspects, who were roommates, are being held without bond. Police said additional charges could be filed against the couple.
Police said they have evidence the suspects planned to open fire at Richmond’s July 4th celebration at Dogwood Dell Amphitheater and a city baseball game.
“That’s where these cowards go,” Smith said. “Wherever we gather, that’s where they want to be.”
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The news comes after a deadly mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, that left seven people dead and dozens injured after a gunman opened fire during an Independence Day celebration in the Chicago suburb.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney (D) said mass shootings have become an “epidemic” across the country, urging the US Congress to do more than the bipartisan arms deal lawmakers passed into law last month.
“There’s mayor after mayor in this country who are frustrated with the way things are now,” Stoney said. “We need more. If members of Congress – both Democrats and Republicans – want to pat themselves on the back and say they’ve done something, come to urban areas like Richmond every day, weekend after weekend, and you’ll see for yourself, we need from more.
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