One person is dead and four were injured, including a student, in a shooting at a hookah lounge near the Virginia Tech campus late Friday, police say.
Police responded to a report of shots fired at 11:53 p.m. at the Melody Hookah Lounge on Main Street in downtown Blacksburg, Virginia, less than a mile away from the Virginia Tech campus.
In total five people were injured in the shooting, one fatally and the other four were transported to local hospitals, the Blacksburg Police Department said.
“The severity of the injuries of those who were transported is unknown at this time,” police said in a news release.
Police said the case is now a homicide investigation and multiple law enforcement agencies are assisting.
Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said in a statement early Saturday that one of the wounded individuals was a student.
“Our condolences go out to the family and friends of the deceased and we extend our support to those who were injured,” Sands said.
The names of the victims have not been released.
The university posted an alert about a person with a gun reported in the area at 11:59 p.m. and the campus was put on lockdown, with officials urging students to stay inside and secure doors. By 3:18 a.m. the campus was deemed secure.
The hookah lounge is also less than a mile from a memorial honoring the lives of the 32 people killed in the devastating April 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.
The investigation is ongoing and police ask anyone with information to call in with tips.
If you have information about this case, please contact the Blacksburg Police Department at (540) 443-1400 or you can remain anonymous by calling the Blacksburg Police Tip Line at (540) 961-1819 or by emailing [email protected].
