On Saturday, a shooting incident occurred at Virginia State University (VSU), leaving 5 people injured. The police later discovered a 19-year-old man in a dormitory closet on campus and arrested him. The suspect, identified as Camron Harris from Henrico, Virginia, is not a student at VSU. Among the 5 injured individuals, only one is a student at the university, while the others are not affiliated with the school. The ages of the victims range from 17 to 23, with the injured student, a 20-year-old male, already discharged from the hospital.
The motive behind the shooting has not been disclosed by authorities yet. Harris faces 8 felony charges, including malicious wounding and the use of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
The shooting took place around 1:30 am on Saturday near the Quad Annexes student dormitory area on campus. When campus police and Chesterfield County police arrived at the scene, they found 5 individuals shot, with one in critical condition.
The incident led to a temporary lockdown of the campus, but the authorities later lifted the lockdown after determining that there was no immediate threat to the campus community.
Prior to the arrest of Harris, the police were investigating multiple suspects, but as of Saturday evening, it was unclear if any other suspects were still at large.
The shooting occurred as students were returning to campus for the new semester. The university had opened the dormitories a week earlier, and classes were scheduled to resume on Monday, with many freshmen having just completed orientation activities.
In a statement, the university expressed understanding of the concerns among students, parents, alumni, friends, and the wider community following the incident. The safety and well-being of the students remain a top priority for the institution.
On Saturday morning, a large number of law enforcement officers were deployed on campus. The university instructed students to closely monitor their emails for additional safety measures and support service information. The ATF and the office of the Hanover County Sheriff are assisting in the investigation.
Virginia State University, located in Ettrick, Virginia, approximately 40 kilometers south of the state capital Richmond, is a historically Black university with around 5,700 students. It is the first fully state-supported four-year Black university in the United States, with the majority of students enrolled in undergraduate programs.