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Five shot, one critically wounded, in mass shooting at Virginia State University

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Five people were shot, one of them critically wounded, in a shooting at Virginia State University in the early-morning hours on Saturday.

The shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. outside a residence hall at the HBCU in Ettrick, a town of 7,241 next door to Colonial Heights and Petersburg in Chesterfield County.

Police put the 5,700-student school on lockdown for several hours; the lockdown was lifted at 8:20 a.m., but a significant law enforcement presence remains on campus as police search for multiple shooters.

Classes for the new academic year were slated to begin on Monday; residence halls opened a week ago.

The school welcomed 1,500 new students with a special pinning ceremony held on Friday morning featuring former NFL MVP Cam Newton as the guest speaker.




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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].