Suspect in custody after high school student fatally shot near Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. — A Virginia man is accused of fatally shooting a high school student and wounding four others inside a hookah lounge near the Virginia Tech campus, authorities said.

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Jamel D. Flint, 24, of Roanoke, was charged with one count of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of using a gun to commit a felony, The Roanoke Times reported.

Flint is accused of fatally shooting Isiah O. Robinson, 18, of Roanoke, WDBJ-TV reported.

According to the Blacksburg Police Department, the shooting took place at about 11:53 p.m. EST at the Melody Hookah Lounge, the Times reported.

Robinson was a linebacker and running back at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, the Times reported. He was remembered by the school’s football team in a Twitter post.

“Isiah will be missed and our hearts and prayers go out to his family, football family and friends,” the tweet stated.

The identities of the wounded victims have not been released, the Times reported. A motive for the shooting has not been released.

>> 1 killed, 4 injured after shooting at hookah lounge near Virginia Tech

“We would like to thank the community for their assistance,” the Blacksburg Police Department said in a statement. “This was truly a group effort to restore safety and security to the Blacksburg community.”

The website for the Melody Hookah Lounge said that the business had been closed for a private event from 8 p.m. until 11 p.m. Friday, reopening to the public after that.

“We are deeply hurt and devastated (by) what happened Friday night, our condolences go to the families and friends of everyone who were affected,” the lounge said in a statement. “Moving forward, we will add more precautions and regulations in place for (these) types of situations.”

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