Teenager arrested after five people shot outside Virginia State University dorms

A teenager has been arrested over a shooting at a US university which left five people injured and sparked a campus lockdown.

Suspect Camron Harris, 19, was found hiding in a dormitory closet following the attack at Virginia State University (VSU).

He is not a student on campus, nor were four of the wounded, police said.

The five victims, who are aged between 17 and 23, were found outside dormitories when campus police and Chesterfield County officers responded just before 1.30am local time (6.30am UK time) on Saturday.

Police say one of the injured, who is aged 21, is in a critical condition and the others had non-life-threatening injuries after the shooting, which happened near the university's Quad Annexes.

One of the victims, a 20-year-old student on the campus, has since been released from hospital.

The motive for the attack is unclear but police have obtained eight felony arrest warrants for Harris, including for malicious wounding and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hanover County Sheriff's Office are also involved, county police added.

The shooting happened as students were getting ready for the new school year, with the university's website saying residence halls had opened for students a week ago and classes resuming on Monday.

Many students had also just completed VSU's "New Trojans Experience" for incoming students, it said.

"We recognise the concern this incident has caused among our students, parents, alumni, friends, and the broader VSU community.

"The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority."

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VSU is in Ettrick, about 24 miles from the state capital of Richmond, and has about 5,700 students, most of whom are undergraduates.

Former director of distance education Arthur Fridrich described the incident as "heartbreaking" and "very tragic" to start the new year in this way.

"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 added.

"For those that were shot, my heart bleeds. I hope that they all mend and somehow do not let this event define their lives."

(c) Sky News 2026: Teenager arrested after five people shot outside Virginia State University dorms