Father wounded shielding son in Richmond graduation shooting says school system failed his family

A Richmond father who was shot while shielding his young son during last June's Graduation Day shooting says Richmond Public Schools failed him and his family. Desmond Johnson Jr., 31, is now working to recover from a spinal cord injury and says the financial strain on his household has been immeasurable.

Johnson, who owns a local trucking company, was outside the Altria Theater in Downtown Richmond on June 6 when gunfire broke out shortly after Huguenot High School's graduation ceremony. He had his 7-year-old son with him. "All I know man is I saw the young man coming my way with the gun," Johnson said.

He immediately covered the boy with his body. "As I was laying on the ground protecting him one shot hit my neck and one hit my face," Johnson said. He was rushed to VCU Medical Center in life-threatening condition. Four other people suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. Huguenot graduate Shawn Jackson and his stepfather, Renzo Smith, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Johnson said he could not tell where the bullets were coming from. He recalled commotion behind him, as if people were trying to hold a man back from coming toward him. "I don't know if the Jackson guy was looking that way or not but the guy with the red hoodie was definitely heading my way," he said. His 71-year-old grandmother was also at the scene and was trampled in the chaos, he said.

Police say four guns were recovered from the scene. One belonged to a man who did not fire his weapon, and another belonged to the accused killer, Amari Pollard. Investigators have not said where the other two came from.

A third-party investigation released recently found that Jackson was allowed to attend the ceremony without proper vetting or consideration of the safety and security concerns his attendance raised. The report also found minimal security inside and outside the theater, a problem when the shooting began and people ran for safety. Johnson echoed that concern.

Johnson, who attended Petersburg schools, said the situation would have been handled differently there. "I went to Petersburg, if you got expelled from school you don't go to graduation, prom, senior trip," he said. "You didn't do nothing - so why was this kid able to come to graduation - I don't understand."

His attorney, Tameka Robinson of the Cravens and Noll law firm, said her team is reviewing the order and documentation that have been released. She said Johnson was seriously injured and his son was "extremely traumatized" by what they experienced. "They deserve to know exactly how all of this happened and we are gonna fight to make sure that Desmond and his son are compensated for what they have been through," Robinson said.

Johnson said his family has been his rock as he works to get back on his feet. He has turned to working out rather than relying on therapy alone, he said, as he tries to move his life forward one step at a time.