3 people injured in shooting at Delaware State cookout, suspect at-large

Sept. 21, 2007: A sign posted at the front gate of Delaware State University in Dover, Del. (AP)

Three people were injured in a shooting Saturday night at a cookout on the campus of Delaware State University, officials said, and authorities are searching for the shooter.

The shooting occurred at about 8 p.m. at a school-sanctioned fraternity and sorority event, university spokesman Carlos Holmes said.

Three people were taken to Kent General Hospital in Dover with injuries that were not life-threatening, Holmes told The Associated Press.

Hours after the first shooting, shots rang out again, this time in the parking lot at University Courtyard, a student-run housing complex near the main campus, The News Journal reports.

No one was injured in the second incident, which occurred around 1:15 a.m., according to the newspaper.

Police describe the shooter in the first incident as a man between 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-11 with dreadlocks, last seen wearing a tan and blue long-sleeved T-shirt with white sneakers, NBC Philadelphia reports. The suspect was driving a dark-colored 4-door vehicle and it is not clear if the shootings were related.

Delaware State University President Harry L. Williams said in a news release that the names of the victims in the first shooting have not been released and it is not clear whether they are Delaware State students.

As of 2:30 a.m. Sunday, no arrests had been made. Williams said students have been told to stay inside their dormitories. Non-students were asked to leave campus.

"The safety of our students continues to be paramount and our police will aggressively continue their investigation until an arrest or arrests are made in this shooting incident," Williams said. DSU campus police is leading the investigation, with help from the Dover Police Department, Delaware State Police and other agencies.

In early November, a student was shot at a residence hall near the campus in what police determined was an isolated act. Two people were charged.

Delaware State University has more than 4,100 full- and part-time students.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.