Prosecutors drop some charges against teen accused in shooting after Richmond high school graduation

The Associated Press
July 28, 2023, 4:00 PM

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Prosecutors dropped second-degree murder charges on Friday against a man who was originally accused of fatally shooting two people after a high school graduation in Virginia, acknowledging they do not have enough evidence against him in one of the killings.

Amari Pollard, 19, was originally charged in the June 6 killings of Shawn Jackson, 18, who had received his Huguenot High School diploma minutes earlier, and Jackson’s stepfather, Lorenzo Smith. On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted Pollard on a single first-degree murder charge only in Jackson’s killing.

Richmond police initially said they believed Pollard targeted Jackson in the shooting because the two teens had a long-running dispute. ... During a court hearing Friday, prosecutors told a judge that Pollard was initially charged by a magistrate using the information available on the day of the shooting, which also injured five people. Prosecutors said that after a longer investigation, they now do not believe there is probable cause to charge Pollard in Smith’s death.

Pollard’s attorney, Jason Anthony, told WTVR-TV outside court that he will argue that Pollard acted in self-defense when the case goes to trial.

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