Police Thwart Mass Shooting At Richmond's July 4 Celebration

RICHMOND, VA — Richmond police stopped what could have been a deadly mass shooting on July 4 thanks to a tip from a "hero citizen" that led to two arrests and the seizure of multiple firearms, authorities said Wednesday.

At a news conference Wednesday, Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith confirmed the arrests of two people who were planning a mass shooting at Richmond's Fourth of July celebration at Dogwood Dell. The Diamond was also among possible targets, Smith said.

According to Smith, police learned about the planned attack on July 1 when a tipster called authorities after overhearing a conversation about a possible mass shooting.

After investigating the citizen's tip, police arrested Julio Alvarado-Dubon, 52, and seized two assault rifles, one handgun and 223 rounds of ammunition from a residence in the 1000 block of Columbia Avenue, Smith said. The man was charged with possession of a firearm as a non-U.S. citizen.

Investigators then monitored a second person over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and arrested him Tuesday, Smith said. The second suspect, Rolman A. Balacarcel, 38, was taken into custody and also charged with possession of a firearm as a non-U.S. citizen, Smith said.

The two men were roommates, according to authorities. The Washington Post reported their full names and ages.

During Wednesday's news conference, Smith said both men intended to carry out a mass shooting during Richmond's Fourth of July celebration. Police have not yet determined a motive, Smith said.

Richmond police publicized the thwarted shooting just two days after a gunman killed seven people and injured more than three dozen when he opened fire on a Fourth of July parade from a rooftop in Highland Park, Illinois.

Robert E. Crimo III was charged with seven counts of murder following the Highland Park shooting. Authorities have not yet identified a motive.

"The success of this particular investigation can only be juxtaposed against the horrors the rest of the country is seeing," Smith said Wednesday. "There is no way to know how many lives this hero citizen saved with one phone call."

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security assisted with the investigation, Smith said.

"As we move forward, we employ everyone — if you see something, say something," Smith said during the news conference. "If you hear something, say something."

Despite the thwarted mass shooting, gun violence still plagued Richmond over the holiday weekend.

Six people were shot early Monday morning near the Cyber Café, an after-hours club in downtown Richmond, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. A Richmond man also was hit with multiple rounds early Monday on Interstate 95, according to the Times-Dispatch.