Virginia State University shooting suspect discussed attack in Instagram messages, court records show
Police say 19-year-old Camron Harris, not a student, fired shots early Saturday at Virginia State University after an argument, injuring five people. He was found hiding in a dorm and faces multiple firearm charges.
Police identified 19-year-old Camron Harris as the suspect in a Saturday early-morning shooting at Virginia State University that left five people injured, including one critically wounded. Harris, who is not enrolled at the university, was discovered hiding in a dormitory closet after officers responded to reports of gunfire around 1:30 a.m.
Court documents indicate that Harris had exchanged Instagram messages in which he talked about locating a gun and returning to the campus to shoot. In one exchange, a contact asked if he heard the gunfire, and Harris replied, “It was us.” In another chat, he wrote, “I’m tryna find the gun,” before sending a photo of a firearm and a message saying, “We js got the shootin.”
Investigators traced Harris’s phone to the campus, recovered a firearm and cartridge casings, and recovered additional evidence from his phone, including photos matching the weapon shown in the Instagram post. Harris has been charged with multiple counts of use of a firearm and malicious wounding. He has not yet secured legal representation, and a court hearing is pending.