By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press
Five people were wounded in a shooting involving multiple suspects at Virginia State University early Saturday, prompting a campus lockdown and police investigation just as students got ready for a new school year.
It happened near the university’s Quad Annexes, where campus police and Chesterfield County officers discovered five people suffering from gunshot wounds outside campus dormitories. At least one of the wounded people was later confirmed to be a student, the university said in a statement.
The shooting was still under investigation later Saturday and happened as Virginia State’s academic year begins. According to the university’s website, residence halls opened for students a week ago, and classes resume on Monday. Many students had just completed the university’s “New Trojans Experience” for incoming students.
Police and university officials have not identified any of the victims. The five were taken to hospitals, and one initially listed as having life-threatening injuries has been upgraded to critical condition, county police said.
The others sustained non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The person confirmed to be a student was among those whose injuries were not life-threatening, and the student has been released from a hospital, the university said.
The university said in a statement early Saturday that the shooting involves “multiple suspects.” It said in a statement later in the day that law enforcement did not believe there was an immediate threat to the campus community, and a campus lockdown had been lifted.
“We recognize the concern this incident has caused among our students, parents, alumni, friends, and the broader VSU community,” the university statement said. “The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority.”
The campus had a large law enforcement presence on Saturday morning, and the university informed students that they should monitor their email for additional safety measures and information about support services. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office were assisting, county police said.
Virginia State University is a historically Black university located in Ettrick, Virginia, about 24 miles south of the state capital of Richmond. The public university has about 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 grown in recent years while attempting to improve safety and retain its historic charm, said Arthur Fridrich, the university’s former director of distance education, who lives near the campus and visits regularly. A shooting like this just as students return for classes is heartbreaking for the community, he said.
“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 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.”
Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, said via social media that she and her husband were “praying for a quick recovery for those who were shot this morning at Virginia State University, and our thoughts are with the VSU community.” She also thanked first responders and law enforcement.
Sen. Mark Warner, also a Democrat, said it was “devastating to see another Virginia campus harmed by gun violence.”