Police seek additional people who fired guns in Virginia university shooting
Context:
A shooting at Virginia State University left five people wounded and triggered a campus lockdown as investigators pursued multiple gunmen and tried to determine motives, including whether any others fired in self-defense or as aggressors. A 19-year-old man was arrested hours later in a dormitory closet, with charges including malicious wounding and firearm use in a felony. The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. near dormitory areas, days before classes resumed, amid new-student events. Authorities continue to identify potential accomplices while assessing the broader context of the attack and its impact on campus safety and return-to-class plans.
Dive Deeper:
Authorities say multiple suspects fired weapons during the shooting at Virginia State University, leaving five people wounded in the early hours near dormitory areas.
A 19-year-old, Camron Harris of Henrico, Virginia, was apprehended and is held without bond, facing four counts of malicious wounding and four counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony; he is not a university student.
The investigation is determining motives and whether others who fired did so in self-defense or as aggressors, with no confirmed locations yet for all suspected shooters.
The attack occurred around 1:30 a.m. during the period when students were preparing for the new academic year, prompting a campus lockdown that was later lifted as law enforcement reevaluated threat levels.
The incident took place near the Quad Annexes on campus, and authorities worked from the scene for hours before arresting the suspect more than 14 hours after the shooting.
Authorities have identified victims ranging in age from 17 to 23, with only one being a university student; the university serves about 5,700 students and is located in Ettrick, Virginia.
Classes were scheduled to resume the following Monday as investigators sought to unravel what happened and determine the next safety and policy steps for the campus community.