Virginia University Resumes Activity After Reports of Armed Man on Campus

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has returned back to its regular activities following a morning alert of a possible gunman on its campus, the university announced on its website on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — "The Richmond, VCU and State police have searched the area, but did not locate the individual and were not able to confirm the information," the statement said. "Since the initial reports, police have received no additional information. Please resume normal activity, and please report any suspicious activity to police."

Earlier on Friday, the university police warned students there was a possible gunman on the school’s Monroe Park campus following reports received about an armed individual off campus.

"Two independent sightings described the subject as a male, wearing a green shirt, jacket and a square military style cap, with a black backpack. No further description was provided at the time of the sightings. The subject was last seen walking east on West Grace Street from Belvidere Street away from the Monroe Park campus," the website noted.

In a fatal incident on Thursday at the Umpqua Community College in Oregon, Chris Harper Mercer shot and killed at least nine students and injured seven. Police killed Harper after an exchange of fire.

The Umpqua Community College shooting in was the 294th mass shooting incident in the United States in 2015, according to the Mass Shooting Tracker project.