At the University of Virginia, a gunman shot dead three people and wounded two others late Sunday night, officials said. University officials urged people to take shelter at various places on the campus.
It was not immediately clear whether the victims were students.
The university’s emergency management office said it received a call about a gunfight on Calbreth Road around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. The University of Virginia Police Department identified the gunman as Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., whom the university president said in an email to campus that he was a student at the school.
University police warned that Mr Jones was “armed and dangerous”. He said several law enforcement agencies were helping in the search for Jones, and that the Virginia State Police had deployed helicopters as part of the effort.
In an email sent to the campus early Monday, university president Jim Ryan said classes would be canceled on Monday.
“I am sad to report that three people have died in the shooting; Two additional victims were injured and are receiving medical care,” Mr. Ryan wrote. “We are working closely with the families of the victims, and we will share additional details as we are able.”
“It’s a message that no leader ever hopes to send,” he said, “and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia.”
Mr Jones was described by police as wearing a burgundy jacket, blue jeans, red shoes and possibly driving a black sport-utility vehicle. He urged family and friends of those on campus to call the emergency hotline for more information about the incident.
At approximately 1:18 p.m., the university’s dean of students, Robin S. Hadley sent an email to the student body, urging those on campus to “please, please take the shelter in place seriously as the situation remains active.”
The university’s athletics website listed Mr. Jones as a one-time member of its football team; The website listed him as a new member of the team that did not appear in any games in 2018.
A university spokesperson provided an email sent by the university’s president, but did not immediately respond to additional questions from The New York Times.