Police apprehended a 19-year-old individual discovered hiding in a dormitory closet at Virginia State University on Saturday following an overnight shooting on campus that resulted in five individuals being wounded, with one sustaining critical injuries. Camron Harris, a resident of Henrico, Virginia, is not affiliated with the university, and neither were four of the injured individuals, as per Chesterfield County Police. The age range of the victims was between 17 and 23, with one of them being a 20-year-old student who has since been discharged from the hospital. The identities of the victims have not been disclosed.
Law enforcement has not disclosed any information regarding a potential motive for the incident. Eight felony warrants were issued for Harris, including charges of malicious wounding and the use of a firearm during a felony. It remains unclear if he has legal representation to speak on his behalf.
While the university had initially reported the search for multiple suspects, no further details were provided by the police on Saturday evening regarding the ongoing investigation. Earlier assurances from university officials indicated that there was no immediate danger to the campus community, resulting in the lifting of the campus lockdown.
The shooting occurred shortly after 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, prompting the campus to go into lockdown just as students were preparing for the upcoming academic year.
The incident transpired near the Quad Annexes of the university, where law enforcement personnel discovered five individuals with gunshot wounds outside the dormitories. The university’s website indicated that the residence halls had been open for students for a week, with classes set to resume on Monday. Many students had recently completed the university’s orientation program for new students.
Virginia State University, a historically Black institution situated in Ettrick, Virginia, approximately 40 kilometers south of Richmond, the state capital, has an enrollment of around 5,700 students. The university, the first state-supported four-year college for Black Americans, primarily consists of undergraduate students.
Arthur Fridrich, the university’s former director of distance education, who resides near the campus, expressed sorrow over the shooting, emphasizing the impact it has had on the community as students return for the academic term. Fridrich hopes for the recovery of those injured and believes the incident should not define their lives moving forward.