Henrico Police have arrested a teenager after a Virginia middle school student was randomly gunned down.
Henrico, Virginia middle school student Lucia Bremer was shot and killed on Friday afternoon. Police described the suspect as a “younger black male”, though his name has not been released due to the fact that he is a minor. The suspect has been charged with second degree murder, as well as two other charges.
The shooting took place in a gravel path that led to Godwin High School. The school was placed on temporary lockdown after the shooting.
Officers were dispatched after reports of gunfire at 4:30 PM on Friday afternoon. They arrived to find that a teenage girl had been shot and was laying in a driveway. She was rushed to a local hospital and died from her injuries.
A witness told NBC 12 Richmond that he was working at a home nearby when he saw two girls walking a path with a man behind them. The witness assumed that they were walking together. After hearing gunshots, the witness saw a masked, black male fleeing the scene while trying to put a gun in his pants. He then attempted CPR on the victim until emergency crews arrived.
The girl’s family put out a statement via their public Facebook page, Liberty Tree Farm LLC. “Liberty Tree Farm is saddened to report that our beloved daughter and joyful farmer, Lucia Whalen Bremer, was killed in a senseless act of gun violence on March 26th,” the post said.
Quioccasin Middle School principal Melanie Phipps sent a message to parents Saturday saying that she is “heartbroken and devastated” by the loss. “Lucia was funny. She loved to tell jokes and made people laugh. She was an amazing public speaker, and you would just listen in awe as she spoke. Lucia was wise beyond her years. Talking to her didn’t feel like talking to a middle schooler,” the message said.
The shooting led to a temporary lockdown of Godwin High School on Friday. The school’s home football game for this upcoming Friday was cancelled while administrators said that the district will have an increased police presence on Monday.
Though the victim was identified by her family, Henrico County police have not named her in press releases since she is a juvenile.