Multiple suspects at large after five shot at Virginia State University, police say

Five people have been injured, one critically, in a shooting at Virginia State University (VSU), involving multiple suspects.

Officers responded to the incident outside a residence halls at about 01:28 local time (05:28 GMT) on Saturday, the university said.

Five individuals, who were all found with gunshot wounds, were taken to local hospitals. Four had injuries that were not deemed to be life-threatening, according to the VSU, which is one of the country’s historically black colleges and universities.

Local police told the BBC they believe more than one shooter was involved, but no arrests have been made.

A temporary lockdown on the campus has since been lifted, but a “significant” law enforcement presence is still on site, the university confirmed in a statement.

It added that Chesterfield County Police are leading the investigation with help from other local law enforcement and campus police.

According to the university’s website, classes for the new term were set to begin on Monday and campus dormitories opened for returning students on Friday.

Lieutenant James R Lamb of Chesterfield County Police Department told the BBC one of the victims was a student and another was under 18.

The university said in a statement the student victim had “sustained non-life threatening injuries” and was discharged from hospital.

“We don’t have anybody in custody,” Lamb said. “We know there was more than one shooter, so I would say the suspects are still at large.”

He said investigators were still reviewing surveillance video for evidence and are not currently treating any of the five people who were injured as suspects.

VSU has about 5,000 students and is just over 20 miles (32km) south of Richmond, the state capital of Virginia.

Such institutions were created to provide higher education to disenfranchised African Americans, who were otherwise prohibited from attending most colleges.