Five people were wounded, and police said investigators were still working to identify other people who fired weapons during the confrontation.
ETTRICK, Va. — Police arrested a 19-year-old man found hiding in a Virginia State University dormitory closet more than 14 hours after a shooting wounded five people, while investigators continued Sunday to search for other people who fired weapons during the confrontation.
Camron Harris of Henrico was being held without bond in the Chesterfield County jail after his arrest Saturday afternoon. Police said Harris is not a Virginia State University student. He faces four counts of malicious wounding and four counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Authorities said the investigation remains active, and the charges against Harris are allegations that have not been proven in court.
The shooting happened at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday near the university’s Quad Annexes. Virginia State University police and Chesterfield County officers found five people with gunshot wounds outside campus residence halls. The victims ranged in age from 17 to 23. Police said only one of those wounded, a 20-year-old man, is a VSU student. He was treated and released from a hospital.
A 21-year-old man was critically injured, while the other four victims had injuries described as not life-threatening, according to authorities. Officials have not publicly released the victims’ names. Police also have not announced a motive or provided a complete account of what led to the gunfire.
Harris was found inside a closet in Seward Hall at about 4 p.m. Saturday, more than 14 hours after the shooting. His arrest came several hours after university officials had lifted a campus lockdown because law enforcement no longer believed there was an immediate threat to the campus community. Harris was not enrolled at VSU, and four of the five people wounded also were not students.
Investigators said Sunday that Harris’ arrest did not end their effort to determine who fired weapons. Lt. James Lamb, commander of the Chesterfield County Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit, said authorities were trying to identify additional people who discharged guns. Police were also working to determine whether those people fired in self-defense or were among the aggressors. Authorities had not publicly said how many additional people may have fired.
The shooting occurred as students prepared for the beginning of a new academic year. Many incoming students had just completed the university’s New Trojans Experience, and classes were scheduled to resume Monday. Residence halls had opened about a week before the shooting. The university said after the incident that students should monitor official communications for additional safety information and support services.
Federal and local agencies joined the investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office assisted Chesterfield County police and university officers. A large law enforcement presence remained on campus after the shooting as authorities processed the area and worked to establish the sequence of events.
Virginia State University is a historically Black public university in Ettrick, about 24 miles south of Richmond. The university has about 5,700 students, most of them undergraduates. The shooting came at a sensitive time for the campus as students returned for the fall term and university officials sought to reassure students and families about safety.
Harris was due in state court Monday on the eight felony counts. It was not immediately clear Sunday whether he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. Police continued trying to identify the other people who fired weapons and determine their roles in the shooting, leaving the circumstances surrounding the confrontation under investigation.
Author note: Last updated August 16, 2026.