RICHMOND, Va (WRIC) — The Richmond Police Department has refused to share crucial evidence to verify its claim that a mass shooting was planned on Independence Day. The arrests made in connection to the reported plot have turned into an international incident.
One day after the city’s police chief said a “hero citizen” called officers about a conversation overheard about the plan for violence, a spokesperson and attorney for the department declined 8News’ request to listen to any possible audio of the call and to physically see the firearms police said were seized.
“Any audio records related to this incident will not be released or available for review at this time because all records related to this incident are part of an ongoing criminal investigation or proceeding,” read a statement from the police department’s legal office in response to 8News’ Freedom of Information Act request.
The state’s public records law includes an exemption granting law enforcement agencies the authority to deny certain requests during an ongoing investigation.
8News also asked police spokesperson Tracy Walker to see the two reported AR-15 rifles, 9-millimeter handgun and more than 200 rounds of ammunition that Police Chief Gerald Smith said were seized in the investigation.
“Those items have been logged in as property and evidence as part of an active criminal investigation. That said, these items are not available for public examination,” Walker said Thursday afternoon, adding, “Due to the ongoing investigation, there is no new information to update you with at this time.”
Julio Alvarado-Dubon, 52, and Rolman Balacarcel, 38, were arrested and charged with possessing a firearm by an unlawful alien on July 1 and July 5, respectively.
“We know what their intent is, but we don’t know their motive,” Smith said Wednesday during a press conference, where he announced the charges.
There is also conflicting information about what police learned after the tip that Walker said was “anonymous” was submitted. Walker also declined to say why the tip was deemed “credible” before police entered the home of Alvarado-Dubon and Balacarcel on July 1.
Both Chief Smith and Mayor Levar Stoney have said that the mass shooting plot was intended for the crowd gathered at Dogwood Dell, a public parks space that includes an amphitheater.
However, Walker said the “anonymous” caller did not specify any location as part of the plot. Police declined to share if officers followed up with the caller and received information to verify their claim and learn more about the alleged plan for violence.
The press conference Wednesday that included Stoney and members of Richmond City Council has prompted international attention, including that from the Guatemalan government.
The Maryland-based Consulate of Guatemala told 8News Thursday that the consulate general on-site has requested a “Consular Interview with both Guatemalans.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations “lodged an immigration detainer” on the men, a formal notice that ICE intends to take custody of someone, according to James E. Covington III, a public affairs officer with DHS.
Covington said the immigration detainers were “lodged” July 6 with the Richmond City Jail for Alvarado-Dubon, and with the Albermarle County Jail for Balacarcel, who authorities said was arrested in Charlottesville on July 5.
The arrest warrant for Alvarado-Dubon indicates he has lived in Richmond for three years and six months in New Jersey, and has worked in construction for three years. The warrant cites that the 52-year-old had a visa that expired four years ago.
8News has yet to receive court documents for Balacarcel’s arrest, though DHS said he was deported from the U.S. twice — once in October of 2013, and again in August of 2014.
