19-year-old arrested after Virginia State University shooting leaves five injured

Authorities have arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with a shooting that injured five people at Virginia State University. The suspect, identified as Camron Harris, was apprehended after allegedly hiding on the university campus for more than 12 hours following the incident.

The shooting occurred around 1:20 a.m. on Saturday. Police in Chesterfield County, Virginia, reported that Harris was found hiding in a residence hall closet. He is currently being held without bond and faces eight felony charges, including four counts of malicious wounding and four counts of criminal use of a firearm.

Officials stated that Harris is not a student at the university. Four of the five injured individuals, whose ages range from 17 to 23, are also not students. One victim, a 21-year-old, was initially admitted with life-threatening injuries and was later upgraded to critical condition. Investigators are continuing to explore the possibility that more than one shooter was involved and are seeking public assistance to piece together the events.

The United States has experienced a significant number of mass shootings this year, with over 500 incidents recorded by the Gun Violence Archive. This archive defines a mass shooting as an event where four or more people are shot or killed, excluding the shooter. University campuses have been sites of such incidents, including a shooting in December at Brown University that resulted in two deaths and eight injuries.