A shooting involving multiple suspects and five people shot at Virginia State University prompted a campus lockdown early on Saturday.

It happened near the university’s Quad Annexes, where campus police and Chesterfield County officers discovered five people suffering from gunshot wounds outside campus dormitories.

Officers responded just before 1.30am and the lockdown was lifted at about 9am, county police said.

County police said officers discovered five people with gunshot wounds outside campus dormitories when they arrived.

The five victims were transported to hospitals, and one initially listed as having life-threatening injuries has been upgraded to critical condition, county police said.

The other victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

The university said in a statement that the shooting involves “multiple suspects”. The statement asked people to avoid the immediate area.

“VSU Police and the Chesterfield County Police Department are actively investigating,” the university statement said.

“The campus community should continue to avoid the area and follow all law enforcement instructions.”

The campus had a large law enforcement presence on Saturday morning. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office were assisting, county police said.

Virginia State Police deferred questions to local police, who they said are leading the investigation. County police and campus officials said there would be more information later in the day.

Virginia State University is a historically black university located in Ettrick, Virginia, about 24 miles south of the state capital of Richmond.

The public university has about 5,700 students and was the first fully state-supported four-year college for black Americans. Most of its students are undergraduates.

The shootings happened just before the start of the academic year at Virginia State.

According to the university’s website, residence halls opened for students a week ago, and classes are set to begin on Monday.

Many students had just completed the university’s “New Trojans Experience” for incoming students.