Student remains at large after three killed in University of Virginia shooting

A US student remained at large on Monday after he allegedly killed three people and wounded two others during a shooting on the University of Virginia campus late on Sunday, the university's president said.

It is the latest incident of US gun violence follows a wave of mass shootings that reignited debate on gun-control legislation.

Officials identified student Christopher Darnell Jones as the suspect and said a number of agencies were engaged in a search.

He was last seen “wearing a burgundy jacket, blue jeans and red shoes”, university president Jim Ryan said in a message to the community posted on the university's website.

The shooting happened about 10.30pm on Sunday on Culbreth Road.

A shelter-in-place order remained in effect on Monday morning, the University of Virginia Police Department said in a tweet. Local bus routes have also been suspended, the university announced.

The suspect also may be driving a black SUV with a Virginia licence plate. He is considered to be armed and dangerous.

Mr Ryan said the university's police department was working with other forces to locate and apprehend the suspect.

The University of Virginia cancelled all classes on Monday.

“This is a message any leader hopes never to have to send and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia,” Mr Ryan said.

The identities of the victims were not immediately released.

"We are working closely with the families of the victims and we will share additional details as soon as we are able,” Mr Ryan said.

Mr Ryan said the university had mental health resources available to students.

More than 599 mass shootings have been reported in the US this year, including 32 mass murders, data from the Gun Violence Archives showed. The bloodshed has sparked debate in the nation over gun control in the US, where the right to bear arms remains a divisive issue.