Full story
Shooting, arrest, injuries
A shooting at Virginia State University in Ettrick, Virginia, early Saturday left five people wounded, and police later arrested Camron Harris, 19, of Henrico, Virginia, after finding him hiding in a closet in Seward Hall.
“left five wounded”
Chesterfield County Police said the gunfire occurred outside the university residence halls shortly before 1:30 a.m. Saturday, and that Harris was found at about 4 p.m. more than 12 hours after the shooting was reported.
Police said Harris is not a student at the university, and they obtained eight felony warrants for him, including four for malicious wounding and four for the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
The shooting prompted a lockdown that was later lifted, and one victim, a 20-year-old VSU student, sustained non-life threatening injuries and was released from the hospital, while a 21-year-old man was upgraded to critical condition.
The other victims were a 23-year-old man, a 19-year-old woman and a 17-year-old, and the investigation remained ongoing with Chesterfield County Police leading it with assistance from Virginia State University Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials, campus response
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said, "Adam and I are praying for a quick recovery for those who were shot this morning at Virginia State University, and our thoughts are with the VSU community," and the university said it would maintain an increased police presence as the investigation continued.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said he was "heartbroken to hear" of the shooting and described it as "devastating to see another Virginia campus harmed by gun violence," as the campus community was told to avoid the immediate area where investigators were processing the scene.
The university instructed students to monitor their VSU email for additional safety measures and information about available support resources, and it said the lockdown had been lifted while law enforcement activity continued.
WTVR and other outlets described the incident as involving multiple victims near the Quad Annexes, with police saying officers discovered five people suffering from gunshot wounds outside campus dormitories when they arrived.
Police told WTVR that the campus lockdown was lifted around 8:20 a.m. after authorities said "law enforcement does not believe there is an immediate threat to the VSU campus community," while investigators continued to process the scene.
Investigation, next steps
Chesterfield County Police said Harris was taken to the Chesterfield County Jail, where police said they obtained eight felony warrants, and they added that the investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
“Anyone with information related to the shooting is urged to contact Chesterfield County Police at 804-748-1251”
The university said residence halls opened a week ago and classes were scheduled to resume Monday, while the campus-wide lockdown was lifted after authorities determined there was no immediate threat to the campus community.
Authorities urged anyone with information to contact Chesterfield County Police at 804-748-1251, Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660, or VSU Police at 804-524-5411, as law enforcement resources remained on campus.
The Guardian reported that VSU police said a shooting occurred in the area of the Quad Annexes involving "multiple victims," and it said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the sheriff’s office of adjacent Hanover County were assisting.
Al Jazeera reported that police obtained eight felony warrants against Harris, including for malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and it quoted Arthur Fridrich saying, "For those that were shot, my heart bleeds. I hope that they all mend and somehow do not let this event define their lives."
