Daijiworld Media Network - Virginia
Virginia, Aug 16: Five people were wounded in a shooting involving multiple suspects at Virginia State University early Saturday, prompting a campus lockdown and a police investigation as students prepare to begin a new academic year.
The shooting took place near the university's Quad Annexes, where campus police and Chesterfield County officers found five people suffering from gunshot wounds outside campus dormitories. Officers responded shortly before 1:30 am, while the lockdown was lifted at around 9 am, county police said.
The incident occurred as Virginia State University's academic year gets underway. According to the university's website, residence halls opened for students a week ago and classes are scheduled to resume on Monday. Many students had also recently completed the university's “New Trojans Experience” programme for incoming students.
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Police and university officials have not identified the victims or said whether any of them are affiliated with the university.
All five victims were taken to hospitals. One person who was initially reported to have life-threatening injuries was later upgraded to critical condition, county police said. The remaining four suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The university said the shooting involved “multiple suspects” and urged people to avoid the immediate area on Saturday morning.
“A significant law enforcement presence remains on campus as the investigation into this morning's shooting continues,” the university said after the lockdown was lifted.
A large law enforcement presence remained on the campus throughout Saturday morning. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hanover County Sheriff's Office were also assisting in the investigation, county police said.
Virginia State University is a historically Black university located in Ettrick, Virginia, around 24 miles south of the state capital, Richmond. The public university has around 5,700 students and was the first fully state-supported four-year college for Black Americans. Most of its students are undergraduates.
The university has expanded in recent years while working to improve campus safety and preserve its historic character, said Arthur Fridrich, the university's former director of distance education, who lives near the campus and visits regularly.
Fridrich said the shooting was particularly heartbreaking for the community as it occurred just as students were returning for the new academic year.
“To start a new year with this event is very tragic. It casts a shadow in the minds of all students, and for some it will be difficult to rid their minds of this term,” he said.
“For those that were shot, my heart bleeds. I hope that they all mend and somehow do not let this event define their lives,” he added.