Gunman kills three people at Virginia University in the US Southeast Asia summit: fear of North Korea, worries about Myanmar and warning of cold war

A gunman killed three people in a violent act on the campus of the University of Virginia in the eastern United States.

Two others were injured, the university and police said Monday night in Charlottesville. A university student is an urgent suspect, it says. The young man is on the run and is armed. He is considered dangerous and may be driving a black SUV. The background was initially completely unclear.

After the crime around 10:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, people on campus were asked to get to safety and not go outside. The site was cordoned off and classes for Monday were cancelled. The police in charge of the university has issued a description of the alleged gunman. She gave no details about the victims. It is not known whether they were also students. Helicopters are also used in the search.

Hours earlier, the bodies of four college students were discovered in an apartment near the University of Idaho campus in the northwestern United States. The university said they were likely the victims of a murder, citing investigators. Again, the background was unknown.

The US has long been battling massive levels of gun violence. Firearms are often readily available in the country. According to the latest data from the health authority CDC, about 20,000 people were shot in the US in 2020 alone – more than 50 a day. In 2020, firearms injuries were the number one cause of death among children and young people for the first time, before road accidents. (cpf/sda/dpa)