Police find shooting suspect hidden in closet on VSU campus

ETTRICK, Va. (WWBT/Gray News) - The Chesterfield County Police Department said a 19-year-old Henrico man is behind bars after a mass shooting at Virginia State University on Saturday morning.

Just before 1:30 a.m., officers were called to a reported shooting along Boisseau Street. At the scene, officers found five people suffering from gunshot wounds outside the campus dorms.

One of the victims, a 21-year-old man, is fighting for his life. The other four victims, including a Virginia State University student, are expected to recover from their injuries.

The police department said the suspect, identified as 19-year-old Camron Harris, was later found on Saturday afternoon hiding in a closet at Seward Hall on Virginia State University’s campus.

Officers said Seward was taken into custody and confirmed he is not a Virginia State University student.

The Chesterfield County Police Department said they’re continuing to investigate the shooting and look for additional people.

The university was placed on lockdown following the shooting. VSU Police Chief David Bragg announced around 8:20 a.m. that the lockdown had been lifted and normal access to campus could resume.

“Although the lockdown has been lifted, members of the VSU community are asked to remain mindful of the ongoing law enforcement activity and avoid the immediate area where investigators are processing the scene,” Bragg said.

VSU says the Chesterfield County Police Department is leading the investigation. VSU Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office are assisting.

Harris was taken to the Chesterfield County Jail, where he is being held without bond.

Chesterfield Police have obtained eight felony warrants against him, including four warrants for malicious wounding and four warrants for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Student reaction

Todd Macon, an incoming VSU freshman, said he heard the gunshots from inside his dorm room. He’s only been on campus for a few days.

“Well, I didn’t hear about it. I heard it from out the window. We were watching the movie around this time too. We stopped. Ain’t nobody know what’s going on, but I knew it was gunshots,” Macon said.

Macon said he was not expecting violence on campus.

“So, we out the window looking. There’re people scattering, running around and stuff, people talking about it. But I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting no shooting to happen,” Macon said.

Multiple students described feeling shocked following the incident. Macon said he found the university’s communication to be clear, saying he received an email about the lockdown shortly after the shooting occurred.

“We got a lot of emails. I’m seeing when the shooting had happened like a little bit after we got an e-mail - locked down. So, I already knew that was going to happen. But yeah, the communication been pretty good. I read all my emails so yeah,” Macon said.

Some students said they heard others planned to stay off campus for the next several days.

Several students also told 12 On Your Side there is a new temporary curfew in place. Students need to be in their dorms by 11:00 PM. Non-Virginia State Students have to be off campus after 9:00 PM.