Five people were hospitalized after an early Saturday shooting near dormitories at Virginia State University, prompting a campus lockdown and a large law enforcement response as authorities investigate multiple suspects.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Five people were shot early Saturday at Virginia State University, triggering a campus lockdown and bringing local, state and federal law enforcement officers to the historically Black university just days before the start of classes.
The shooting occurred near the university’s Quad Annexes in Ettrick, Virginia, where responding officers found five people suffering from gunshot wounds outside campus residence halls, according to Chesterfield County police.
All five victims were transported to hospitals.
Police initially described one victim’s injuries as life-threatening before later listing that person in critical condition. The other four victims suffered injuries that authorities said were not life-threatening.
Virginia State University said the shooting involved “multiple suspects” but did not immediately provide additional information about their identities or whether any arrests had been made.
Authorities urged students, employees and others on campus to stay away from the area while investigators worked at the scene.
“VSU Police and the Chesterfield County Police Department are actively investigating,” the university said in a statement.
“The campus community should continue to avoid the area and follow all law enforcement instructions,” the statement added.
A substantial police presence remained on campus Saturday morning as officers gathered evidence and attempted to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was assisting with the investigation, along with the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Chesterfield County police said.
Virginia State Police referred questions about the shooting to local authorities, saying Chesterfield County police were leading the investigation.
Campus officials and county police said additional information would be released later Saturday as the investigation developed.
The shooting occurred at a particularly busy time for the university as students were returning for the new academic year.
Residence halls opened approximately one week earlier, according to the university’s website, and classes are scheduled to begin Monday.
Many incoming students had also recently completed Virginia State’s “New Trojans Experience,” an orientation program intended to introduce new students to campus life.
Virginia State University is a public historically Black university located in Ettrick, approximately 24 miles south of Richmond.
The school enrolls about 5,700 students, most of them undergraduates.
Virginia State was the first fully state-supported four-year institution of higher education established for Black Americans.
The Saturday shooting left the campus under heightened security as investigators worked to identify the multiple suspects described by university officials and determine what led to the gunfire near the dormitories.
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