A 19-year-old man, Camron Harris, was arrested on Saturday in connection with a shooting that injured five individuals at Virginia State University. Authorities located Harris hiding in a closet inside Seward Hall at approximately 4 p.m., over 14 hours after the shooting occurred near the university's residence halls early Saturday morning. Harris is not a student at the university.
Police have issued eight felony warrants for Harris, including four counts of malicious wounding and four counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. He is currently held at the Chesterfield County Jail without bond, and additional charges may be forthcoming.
The shooting took place around 1:28 a.m. on Saturday, resulting in five people suffering from gunshot wounds. One victim, a 21-year-old man who is not affiliated with the university, remains in critical condition, while the other four victims, aged 17 to 23, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Only one of the victims, a 20-year-old, is a student at Virginia State University and has since been discharged from the hospital.
Initially, the university reported that multiple suspects were involved, prompting a campus lockdown while police searched for those responsible. The lockdown was lifted after authorities confirmed there was no immediate threat. Police are still investigating whether additional individuals who fired weapons acted in self-defense or were aggressors.
The Chesterfield County Police are leading the investigation with support from other law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A motive for the shooting has not yet been disclosed. Virginia State University, located in Ettrick, Virginia, has around 5,700 students and was preparing for the start of fall classes on Monday, just two days after the incident. The university had previously experienced multiple gun-related incidents, including lockdowns in 2024 and a shooting near a campus basketball court in 2025. The investigation into the recent shooting is ongoing.