19-Year-Old Arrested After Virginia University Shooting Leaves Five Injured

A 19-year-old man was arrested after a shooting at Virginia State University in Ettrick, Virginia, left five people injured early Saturday, including one person who was critically wounded. Chesterfield County Police identified the suspect as Camron Harris of Henrico, Virginia, and said he was found hiding inside a dormitory closet. Police said neither Harris nor four of the five injured people are students at the university.

The shooting occurred shortly after 1:30 a.m. near the university's Quad Annexes, where campus police and Chesterfield County officers found five people suffering from gunshot wounds outside campus residence halls. The victims were between 17 and 23 years old. One 20-year-old victim, who is a Virginia State University student, was later released from hospital, while authorities did not immediately release the identities of the other victims.

Police said Harris faces eight felony warrants, including charges related to malicious wounding and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the shooting. The university had initially indicated that multiple suspects could be involved, but police had not provided additional information about any other potential suspects by Saturday evening.

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The shooting prompted a campus lockdown as students prepared to begin the new academic year. University officials later lifted the lockdown and said law enforcement did not believe there was an immediate threat to the wider campus community. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hanover County Sheriff's Office were assisting local authorities with the investigation.

Virginia State University had reopened its residence halls about a week earlier, with classes scheduled to resume Monday. Many students had recently participated in the university's New Trojans Experience programme for incoming students. University officials expressed concern for students, families and the wider community, reiterating that student safety and well-being remained a priority.

Virginia State University is a historically Black public university in Ettrick, about 24 miles south of Richmond. It has around 5,700 students and was the first fully state-supported four-year college for Black Americans. The shooting has cast a shadow over the start of the academic year, with local community members expressing concern for the victims and students returning to campus.

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