Mass shooting in Virginia: 2 dead, several injured after fight sparks gunfire, victims identified, firearms recovered; What we know so far

Shooting in Virginia: Chaos ensued on a street in an entertainment district in Virginia after a mass shooting occurred during an apparent fight, claiming the lives of at least two people and leaving seven others wounded, the police chief in Richmond, Virginia, said on Saturday (February 21, 2026), as reported by news agency AP.

Speaking about the tragic incident, Police Chief Rick Edwards told reporters that the fight took place at about 2:45 AM, and a man and a woman died at the scene, AP reported. He also said that a police officer in the area saw “a large commotion” with cars speeding away. The man and woman had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, Edwards added.

Mass shooting victims identified

Chief Edwards said that at least nine people were shot during the incident. The victims ranged in age from 23 to 42. Of them, three men and four women were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. The two who lost their lives were identified as 23-year-old woman Genesis Jones of Petersburg, according to WTVR. Later, police identified the other victim as 42-year-old Dominic Jackson of Henrico.

Elaborating on the apparent reason behind the shooting, Edwards said, “It seemed like a fight started, individuals intervened in that fight, and shots were fired,” as quoted by AP. He further stated that there were at least two shooters. Edwards did not provide any detail on whether anyone was arrested at the time of filing of this report.

According to WTVR-TV, several family members had gathered for a birthday celebration in the Shockoe Bottom historic area when one of them, a woman, got caught in the crossfire and lost her life.

Cops recover two firearms from the scene

During the investigation into the shooting incident, police recovered two firearms from the scene, and they believe that there were more, according to WTVR. The ATF is assisting with ballistic analysis to help speed up the investigation process, the CBS affiliate reported.

Edwards said all bars in the area were closed when the shooting broke out. "I can confirm that this did not originate in a club, and all the bars were closed at 2 a.m. This was people hanging out on the streets. Two groups of individuals started fighting," Edwards was quoted by WTVR as saying.

Police are investigating whether the groups may have encountered each other earlier in the evening. "The videos that I've seen seem to show people starting a verbal argument, then a physical fight, and then, very quickly, guns are brought out," Edwards said.