LACK OF EVIDENCE

Feds Taking Over Case for Alleged July 4th Mass Shooting

Local prosecutors said they didn’t have evidence the two men were plotting to shoot up a Richmond, Virginia, venue.

Virginia prosecutors dropped their case against two men who they alleged were planning a mass shooting during a July 4th celebration at the Dogwood Dell Amphitheater—but federal officials are now taking up the case. Julio Alvarado-Dubon and Rolman Balacarcel were arrested last month for possession of a firearm as a non-U.S. citizen, charges both men will reportedly continue to face. A concerned citizen hailed as a hero tipped off police about an alleged conversation they heard in which the men, who were roommates, planned to shoot up the festival. However, Virginia prosecutors could not find a motive for the alleged mass shooting plan, nor could they tie the evidence they did have—two assault rifles, a handgun, and 223 rounds of ammunition—to a real plot to shoot up that celebration. Now, the federal court system is prosecuting the men for similar crimes, but not specifically a mass shooting planned at the Dogwood Dell.