Three Arrested After Shockoe Bottom Shooting Kills Two, Injures Seven

Three Henrico County men have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the Feb. 21 mass shooting in Richmond's Shockoe Bottom neighborhood that left two people dead and seven others wounded, with one suspect arrested just minutes before police announced the charges at a press conference.

Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards and Mayor Danny Avula joined federal and local officials to announce the arrests of Drevon Jackson-Brown, 25; Shaquan Morris, 22; and Carlos Johnson Jr., 26. All three are Henrico County residents. Jackson-Brown faces first-degree murder, malicious wounding, and two counts of use of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Morris is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of the same firearm offense. Johnson Jr. faces the same charge set as Jackson-Brown, including malicious wounding.

Among the most striking details Edwards disclosed: Jackson-Brown is the brother of Dominic Antoine Jackson, 42, one of the two victims killed that night. The other victim, Genesis Jones, 23, was from Petersburg. All seven people injured in the shooting are no longer in life-threatening conditions.

The shooting erupted outside a club that had closed early in the early morning hours of Feb. 21, when a fight broke out between two groups. The confrontation generated over 50 shots fired, according to Edwards. Jackson-Brown and Johnson Jr. were themselves among the seven wounded.

Edwards acknowledged the two-week gap between the shooting and the arrests. "This was an incredibly difficult crime scene to manage. This was an incredibly complicated case. That's why it took us two weeks," he said. The investigation drew cooperation from the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney, federal partners, state agencies, Henrico Police Department, and Petersburg Police Department, all of whom Edwards credited in a formal statement. "This remains a very complex case with more investigative work to accomplish," Edwards said, "but it is appropriate at this stage to recognize the significant progress made by members of the Richmond Police Department in cooperation with the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney."

Edwards said he believes the three men charged are responsible for the deaths but was direct that others likely fired weapons that night. "We do believe other people had firearms and we're discharging them, but we do believe we have held accountable those that were responsible for the deaths," he said. Crime Insider sources indicated none of the three had serious prior run-ins with law enforcement before the shooting. City leaders attributed the violence to a combination of alcohol, a street fight, and easy access to guns.

Additional charges remain possible. Richmond police said more arrests are expected as the investigation continues. The department will maintain an increased presence in Shockoe Bottom, and the city has scheduled a community meeting for March 19.