5 people shot at hookah bar near Virginia Tech

Five people have been shot, one fatally, at a hookah lounge near the campus of Virginia Tech in downtown Blacksburg, local officials and witnesses say. A lockdown at the university was lifted after several hours.

The incident began at 11:52 p.m. on Friday when officers were called for an active shooter at the Melody Hookah Lounge on N Main Street in downtown Blacksburg, not far from the campus of Virginia Tech.

“There were five individuals that were injured in the shooting, four were transported to local hospitals and one is deceased,” police said in a statement. “The severity of the injuries of those who were transported is unknown at this time.”

Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said one of the injured is a student at the university.

Details about the circumstances of the shooting were not immediately released. “This incident continues to be a complex, ongoing case that has shifted to a homicide investigation,” police said.

Virginia Tech was immediately put on lockdown when initial reports of a shooting came in, but it was lifted after more than 3 hours. “Blacksburg Police continue to investigate. Avoid downtown,” the university said in an update.

Multiple ambulances responding to a possible shooting scene in downtown Blacksburg, VA #blacksburg pic.twitter.com/YXHmQVg5jP

— Mark Skaggs (@markskaggs10) February 5, 2022

Multiple sirens audible, some belonging to EMS, audible on Progress St, #Blacksburg, 1 mile away from where a persons with a gun has been reported. pic.twitter.com/RgrfdiwQCR

— Justin Buchinsky (@JBuchinskyWX) February 5, 2022