Virginia State University Shooting Leaves Five Injured, Suspects Still at Large

Sun Sep 06 2026 04:03:12 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Five people were shot at VSU, all with gunshot wounds. Police say multiple shooters are at large and no arrests have yet been made.

A shooting outside a residence hall at Virginia State University injured five individuals, one critically. Local police believe more than one shooter was involved, and no arrests have been made so far. The university lifted a temporary lockdown but continues to have a significant law‑enforcement presence on campus. Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage while the injured were taken to hospitals, with some discharged after non‑life‑threatening injuries.

Virginia State University Shooting Leaves Five Injured, Suspects Still at Large

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 hall at about 01:28 local time (05:28 GMT) on Saturday, the university said.

All five individuals were found with gunshot wounds and were taken to local hospitals. Four of them suffered injuries that were not deemed life‑threatening, according to VSU.

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

Although a temporary lockdown was lifted, a significant law enforcement presence remained on campus, the university confirmed in a statement. The Chesterfield County Police lead the investigation with assistance from other local law‑enforcement agencies and campus police.

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

Lt. James R. Lamb of the Chesterfield County Police Department told the BBC that one of the victims was a student and another was under 18. The university stated that the student victim had “sustained non‑life‑threatening injuries” and had been 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.”

Investigators are still reviewing surveillance video, and the five people who were injured are not currently treated as suspects.

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

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