Campus Alert Archive
VSU

Man Killed in VSU Parking Lot: Suspect at Large for Weeks After Saturday Night Shooting Near Multipurpose Center

VAshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Shortly after 11:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, October 4, 2025, Omarion Bryant, 20, was fatally shot with multiple gunshot wounds in a parking lot near Virginia State University's Multipurpose Center on Third Avenue. The shooting triggered a campus-wide lockdown that was subsequently lifted. A murder warrant was issued for 19-year-old Latrell Creighton of Dinwiddie County, who remained at large and armed and dangerous for several weeks. Neither Bryant nor Creighton was affiliated with VSU.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
1
Injured
0
Institution
Virginia State University
Hbcu · VA
~4,400 studentsVSU Emergency Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction245 chars
VSU ALERT: A shooting has occurred near the Multipurpose Center on campus. Campus is on lockdown. Shelter in place immediately. Do not go outside. Lock doors and windows. Chesterfield County Police and VSU Police are on scene. Updates to follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The shooting occurred in a parking lot near the VSU Multipurpose Center on the 20900 block of Third Avenue -- Chesterfield County Police had primary jurisdiction
Neither the victim (Omarion Bryant, 20) nor the suspected shooter (Latrell Creighton, 19) was affiliated with Virginia State University
The incident occurred just after 11 PM on a Saturday -- consistent with the late-night pattern of non-affiliated shootings on HBCU parking lots
Chesterfield County Police led the investigation; VSU campus police supported the response
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction309 chars
VSU ALERT: The campus lockdown has been lifted. Campus is secure. However, please avoid the area near the Multipurpose Center while investigation continues. A homicide investigation is now underway. VSU Police and Chesterfield County Police are continuing to work the scene. More information will be provided.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The all-clear specifically asked students and staff to avoid the Multipurpose Center area -- unusual for a full all-clear, reflecting ongoing forensic activity at the shooting scene
VSU's official statement framed this as a 'tragedy outside main campus' despite it occurring on Third Avenue, a campus-adjacent street
Creighton remained at large for weeks after the shooting, meaning the armed and dangerous suspect identified in a murder warrant was not immediately captured
Two other individuals, including Creighton's father, were arrested in connection with the case before Creighton was apprehended
Context

Background

Virginia State University, a historically Black university in Chesterfield County, Virginia, experienced another fatal shooting on October 4, 2025, when Omarion Bryant, 20, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a parking lot near the Multipurpose Center on Third Avenue just after 11 p.m. EDT. Chesterfield County Police and VSU Police responded immediately and placed the campus on lockdown. The lockdown was subsequently lifted while investigation continued. A murder warrant was issued for Latrell Creighton, 19, of Dinwiddie County, who remained at large and was considered armed and dangerous for several weeks after the shooting. Two other individuals, including Creighton's father, were arrested. VSU's official response framed the shooting as occurring 'outside main campus.' This was the third VSU campus-area shooting within approximately 14 months: VSU had experienced a welcome-week shooting in August 2024 and an October 2024 shooting, and now this October 2025 fatality. A student was later convicted of murdering Bryant, according to court records -- the extended investigation ultimately connected a VSU student to the crime despite initial indications of no campus affiliation.
Analysis

Key Findings

A murder warrant was issued for 19-year-old Latrell Creighton but he remained at large and armed for weeks after the shooting, creating an extended period of campus threat awareness
VSU's official framing of the incident as 'outside main campus' illustrates the common HBCU institutional tension between campus safety transparency and reputational protection
This was the third VSU shooting incident within approximately 14 months, establishing a documented pattern of parking-lot and campus-perimeter gun violence at the institution
Neither victim nor initial suspect was identified as a VSU affiliate -- reflecting the recurring challenge of non-student-involved violence on HBCU grounds
Outcome
One killed: Omarion Bryant, 20. Suspect Latrell Creighton, 19, wanted for second-degree murder and remained at large for weeks. Two other individuals, including Creighton's father, were arrested as accomplices. Lockdown lifted after several hours. Non-VSU-affiliated individuals involved.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Man shot and killed on Virginia State University's Campus - WSLS
    wsls.com
  2. News
    Man wanted in deadly VSU shooting still at large, considered armed and dangerous - WRIC
    wric.com
  3. News
    Deadly shooting under investigation near Virginia State University campus - 13NewsNow
    13newsnow.com
  4. Official
    Virginia State University Responds To Recent Tragedy Outside Main Campus - VSU Official
    vsu.edu
  5. News
    Second suspect arrested after deadly shooting near Virginia State University campus - WTVR
    wtvr.com
Tags
hbcuvirginia-statefatal-shootingparking-lotnon-studentsuspect-at-largevirginiachesterfield-countymultipurpose-centerrepeat-violence
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion