The gunfire erupted in the darkness before dawn, sending five wounded people to the hospital and plunging Virginia State University into lockdown.

For hours, students waited behind locked doors as heavily armed officers searched the campus and authorities warned that multiple suspects could be involved.

Then police entered a dormitory room in Seward Hall and opened a closet.

Inside, according to investigators, they found 19-year-old Camron Harris hiding.

Harris, a resident of Henrico, Virginia, was taken into custody several hours after Saturday’s mass shooting in the university’s residential housing area. He is not a Virginia State student, according to reports citing Chesterfield County Police.

Authorities obtained eight felony warrants against him, including malicious wounding and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The allegations have not yet been proven in court, and police have not publicly identified a possible motive. Investigators have also warned that Harris could face additional charges as they attempt to reconstruct exactly what happened.

The violence began shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15.

Officers responding to the Quad Annexes residential area discovered five people “suffering from gunshot wounds,” Virginia State University said.

One victim was a 20-year-old VSU student. The student was treated at a hospital and later released.

The other four victims reportedly have no connection to the university as students. They include a 21-year-old man who remained in critical condition, along with a 23-year-old man, a 19-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy.

The injuries suffered by those three victims were described as non-life-threatening.

Authorities have not released any of their names, leaving families and friends to wait privately as investigators pursue answers.

The circumstances leading to the shooting remain unclear.

Police initially said “multiple suspects” had been involved, raising fears that additional armed individuals might still be moving through the campus. The university ordered a lockdown as officers secured residential buildings and searched for anyone connected to the gunfire.

Harris was ultimately discovered inside a closet at Seward Hall, another residence building on campus.

It remains unknown how he allegedly entered the building, how long he had been hiding there or whether anyone helped him avoid officers during the search.

He was transported to the Chesterfield County Jail and ordered held without bond.

The arrest brought an end to the immediate manhunt—but not to the larger investigation.

“At this time, law enforcement does not believe there is an immediate threat to the VSU campus community,” the university announced after lifting the lockdown.

The statement offered students the first measure of relief after hours of uncertainty. But it also made clear that campus life would not immediately return to normal.

“The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority,” VSU said. “VSU Police will maintain an increased presence on campus as the investigation continues.”

Students were instructed to monitor their university email accounts for updated security measures and information about counseling and other support services.

Multiple agencies are now working on the case, including Chesterfield County Police, Virginia State University Police, the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Their task extends beyond determining who fired the shots.

Investigators must establish how many weapons were used, whether more than one person opened fire and what brought several people who were not students into the university’s residential area during the early morning hours.

They must also determine whether Harris allegedly acted alone or was part of the group of suspects initially described by authorities.

For the university community, those unanswered questions may make the return to normal life difficult.

A campus residence is supposed to represent safety—a place where students sleep, study and build friendships away from home. On Saturday, that sense of security was shattered by gunfire.

The discovery of the suspect in a dormitory closet added another disturbing dimension. Even as students sheltered in place, a man police believe was connected to the shooting was allegedly concealed inside one of the campus buildings.

The lockdown has ended, and police say no immediate threat remains.

But one victim is still fighting for his life. Four others are recovering from gunshot wounds. A 19-year-old is being held without bond, and investigators are still searching for the motive—and potentially others involved.

Police are urging anyone with information to contact Chesterfield County Police at 804-748-1251 or Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660. Anonymous information can also be submitted through the P3 application.

For the families of those wounded, the arrest is only the beginning.

They still need to know why five people were shot—and whether everyone responsible has truly been found.