Shooting Investigation Prompts 2 Schools To Keep Students Inside

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Students at two Fredericksburg elementary schools were kept inside for a Thursday afternoon due to a shooting investigation taking place in close proximity to the schools, according to authorities.

Fredericksburg police officers were dispatched around 1:40 p.m. to investigate the report of two males discharging a firearm into the ground at a residence in the 100 block of Longstreet Avenue, according to the incident report.

When police arrived, the two suspects entered the home, but later exited the building in response to the officers' demands.

After obtaining a search warrant, investigators began collecting evidence. With the help of explosive detectiion canine Lani, investigators recovered two firearms, according to police.

Police arrested 42-year-old Uriel Cruz-Dorantes Uriel of Fredericksburg and charged him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, reckless handling of a firearm, and discharging a firearm within the city limits. Cruz-Dorantes was turned over to the Rappahannock Regional Jail on $10,000 bond. A second man was also detained but later released.

Cruz-Dorantes is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday in Fredericksburg General District Court, according to court records. A preliminary hearing hasn't been scheduled.

The possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon charges are Class 6 felonies. If convicted on any of these chagres, Cruz-Dorantes faces a potential sentence of one to five years in prison or up to 12 months in jail and up to a $2,500 fine, under the Code of Virginia.

Around 1:45 p.m., Lafayette and Gladys West elementary schools issued an indoor instruction notice, after a school resource officer learned of the investigation underway nearby, police say. The order was later lifted.