As dozens of lives were changed forever this July 4 when mass shootings shook the Chicagoland area, the actions of a “hero citizen,” made sure another mass shooting did not add to the week’s death toll.
“A subject who I am referring to as a ‘hero citizen’ picked up the phone,” after overhearing a conversation about a mass shooting being planned Friday, said Richmond, Va., police Chief Gerald M. Smith during a Wednesday news conference.
The anonymous tip directed authorities to a residence on the 3100 block of Columbia Street in Richmond, where evidence of the plans was in plain view, said Smith. Police found two assault rifles, one handgun, and 223 rounds of ammunition.
Richmond Police Department detectives also made two arrests following the tip: 38-year-old Rolman Balacarcel of Richmond and 52-year-old Julio Alvrado-Dubon, also of Richmond. They have both been charged with felony non-citizen possession of a firearm.
Alvrado-Dubon was arrested first, and Virginia State Police arrested Blalacarcel was arrested Tuesday in Charlottesville, Va.
Richmond Police said Wednesday that an investigation in to the incident is ongoing and that the Homeland Security Investigations unit and Federal Bureau of Investigation have helped local law enforcement.
Smith stressed that the single phone call likely saved lives.
In Highland Park, Ill., 21-year-old alleged gunman Robert Crimo III fatally shot at least seven people and injured dozens on the same day the apprehended men allegedly planned to terrorize Richmond. In Gary, Ind., three people – including a cousin of the city’s Mayor Jerome Prince – perished in a mass shooting, according to CBS News Chicago.
Authorities welcome more tips that could help with the investigation.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Richmond’s Crime Stoppers anonymously at (804) 780-1000
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