Richmond police this morning arrested 19-year-old Ronshjae Lamon McCray, who was wanted in connection with yesterday's shooting of a 17-year-old boy near a pool in Richmond's Fulton Hill neighborhood.

The teen was shot in the upper chest area shortly after 4 p.m. within 50 yards of the pool just north of Williamsburg Road in the city's East End. Police described the wound as serious but not life-threatening. Authorities did not identify the victim because of his age.

Police last night identified McCray, of the 2000 block of Newman Road in Richmond, as a person of interest in the shooting. McCray, who has not been charged in the shooting, also was wanted on unrelated charges of breaking and entering and trespassing.

After McCray was taken into custody this morning, Richmond police said they were offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the shooting. Anyone with information can call the Richmond Police Tips Line at (804) 514-8477.

Kelvontae Washington, 13, said he ducked underwater when he heard the shots, then heard someone yelling, "Somebody got hit, somebody got hit." An off-duty police officer corralled children into locker rooms for cover.

The city's interim police chief, David McCoy said yesterday that he might post extra officers at the pool today. McCoy also emphasized that the shooting did not appear random and was not directed at the pool.

A police spokeswoman said the initial investigation indicated an argument preceded the gunfire, but investigators were still trying to determine whether the victim was the intended target.

Nearly 50 children ages 5 to 16 were inside the fenced-in pool area when the gunfire erupted, police said.

Richmond police officer Chloe Gail was working off-duty security at the pool when she heard what she believed were four or five shots.

"They started panicking in here," Gail said later. "People were jumping out of the pool."

After Gail sent the children into locker rooms, she said she saw four or five males standing around the gunshot victim on Northampton Street between the pool and some tennis courts.

"I could see them pick somebody up -- I heard someone say, 'Pick him up and take him to the hospital,'" Gail recalled.

The group put him in what looked like an older-model gray Oldsmobile and drove away, Gail said.

The police spokeswoman, Karla Peters, said someone drove the victim to Richmond Community Hospital. He was later moved to VCU Medical Center.

Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or rwilliams@timesdispatch.com.