Chesterfield County Police arrested 19-year-old Camron Harris of Henrico after finding him hiding in a campus dormitory closet.
The shooting occurred early Saturday near the Quad Annexes of Virginia State University in Ettrick, injuring five people aged 17 to 23.
Suspect Camron Harris faces eight felony warrants, including malicious wounding and the use of a firearm during a felony.
Chesterfield County Police apprehended 19-year-old Camron Harris of Henrico on Saturday following overnight violence at Virginia State University that left five people injured.
The gunfire broke out shortly after 1.30 am near the university's Quad Annexes, outside campus dormitories.
Officers discovered Harris inside a dormitory closet who now faces eight felony charges, including malicious wounding and using a firearm during a felony, Chesterfield County Police stated. Officials have not revealed a motive or confirmed if Harris has a lawyer, AP reported.
The gunfire triggered a campus lockdown with the Police later lifting the emergency order after search teams secured the area and concluded that the university community faced no ongoing danger.
Victims and Suspect Identified
Harris does not attend the university and authorities stated that four of the five wounded individuals were also not enrolled there.
The five victims are aged 17 to 23. A 21-year-old man sustained critical injuries, while the hospital discharged the only student among the victims, a 20-year-old. The other victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hanover County Sheriff's Office are assisting investigators.
Several gunmen were initially involved, the university stated. Police have since released no updates regarding the hunt for other suspects.
Impact on Campus Community
Located in Ettrick, Virginia State University is a historically Black institution that was the first four-year college for Black Americans to receive full state funding.
The violence disrupted preparations for the upcoming academic year as classes were set to begin on Monday. Dormitories opened one week prior, and many students had already completed the "New Trojans Experience" program for new arrivals.
"We recognise the concern this incident has caused among our students, parents, alumni, friends and the broader VSU community," the university stated, as AP reported. "The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority"
Arthur Fridrich, a former university director of distance education who lives near the campus, described the incident as particularly difficult for the community.
"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," Fridrich told AP. "For those that were shot, my heart bleeds. I hope that they all mend and somehow do not let this event define their lives"
