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“The City of Richmond proudly hosts hundreds of public events each year, but I believe it’s in the interest of everyone’s safety to take guns out of these spaces when neighbors, visitors and families gather,” said Mayor Stoney. “Under this proposed change, Richmond residents will be able to attend public events with a greater sense of security, knowing that the city is actively prioritizing their safety.”

Prosecutors showed a Facebook Live that Rogers streamed while driving. He asked his followers to meet him at the Sunday march. “Come on y’all, let’s go have some fun,” he said. Rogers said they needed to “protect” the A.P. Hill statue after hearing news that protesters tore a statue in Richmond’s Monroe park down the night before. 

Richmond Police said on Twitter that they are “committed to finding a peaceful way forward through open and inclusive dialogue.” But because of pushback from protesters, the agency said in a Tweet that Chief Gerald Smith decided to wait for another time. Richmond resident Sherri Robinson organized the event. She said it was unfortunate that many protesters decided not to be involved in the gathering and that police backed out for safety reasons. 

On Saturday afternoon, the grounds around the Robert E. Lee statue shifted into a different type of community gathering than it’s seen in the past 72 days, where the state barred entry after sunset, police launched chemical agents and flash bangs, officers arrested protesters and tore down tents and people began calling the area Marcus-David Peters Circle.

One Monument Avenue resident had feared for his safety for weeks, so he installed two surveillance cameras above his front porch. His cameras captured the sound of gunshots on the night of July 30 — one bang, then three in succession, then one more. The next day, police announced that they had recovered an assault-style rifle, four magazines and a clip. They found an SUV with what appeared to be bullet holes in its rear.

Police have arrested and charged three men with operating All-Terrain Vehicles recklessly - including hitting a vehicle - throughout Richmond Tuesday night.

Officers were notified of the off-road vehicles being driven throughout the city and around the circle on Monument Avenue and responded to the area.