Multiple people were injured in a shooting at Virginia State University (VSU) early Saturday, with several suspects still at large, police said.
The campus, about 20 miles (32km) south of Richmond, was placed on lockdown as police responded to the scene.
Police response and victims
“A shooting occurred in the area of the Quad Annexes involving multiple victims, who were transported to area hospitals. Police are on scene and request that you avoid the area,” the VSU police department said in a statement.
VSU said the shooting involved “multiple suspects”. Chesterfield county police, whose jurisdiction includes VSU, said officers discovered five people suffering from gunshot wounds outside campus dormitories when they arrived.
The five victims were transported to hospitals, with one initially listed as having life-threatening injuries later upgraded to critical condition, county police said. The other victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Police told WTVR that they were called to university dormitories at 1.30am.
Wider context and impact
The campus had a large law enforcement presence on Saturday morning. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the sheriff’s office of adjacent Hanover county were assisting, police said.
As of Saturday morning, there had been nearly 300 mass shootings reported across the US so far for the year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as cases in which at least four victims are wounded or killed.
The US has perennially registered high numbers of mass shootings, with a considerable portion occurring at school and university campuses or activities. Those numbers have prompted calls for more substantial federal gun control, though Congress over the years has not implemented such restrictions.
The shooting happened just before the start of the academic year at Virginia State. According to the university’s website, residence halls opened for students a week ago, and classes are set to begin on Monday. Many students had just completed the university’s “New Trojans Experience” for incoming students, an event alluding to the nickname for the school’s athletic teams.
The public university has about 5,700 students, most of whom are undergraduates. VSU has grown in recent years while attempting to improve safety and retain its historic charm, according to Arthur Fridrich, the university’s former director of distance education, who lives near the campus and visits regularly.
For VSU’s community, a shooting just as students return for classes is heartbreaking, he said. “To start a new year with this event is very tragic. It casts a shadow in the minds of all students.”
