Five Duquesne University basketball players were wounded in a campus shooting early this morning. Top row: Sam Ashaolu, left, is in critical condition. Stuard Baldonado, right, is hospitalized. They are shown in the uniforms from the schools where they played last season. Bottom row: Kojo Mensah, left, remains hospitalized. Aaron Jackson, center, and Shawn James were treated and released. Click photo for larger image. Related articles Duquesne students, parents refusing to panic after shootings Coach says he's proud of players' responses after crisis Graphic: How the Duquesne University shootings happened Profiles of wounded Duquesne University basketball players

Five Duquesne University basketball players were shot and wounded after a dance on campus early this morning.

Two of the men were in critical condition, according to city police investigators.

The most seriously injured student was 6-foot-7 forward Sam Ashaolu, a transfer from Lake Region Community College in North Dakota and a cousin of former Houston Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon. He was in critical condition at Mercy Hospital.

Two other players, remained hospitalized. They were Stuard Baldonado, a 6-7 transfer from Miami Dade College who was in serious condition at Mercy Hospital, and Kojo Mensah, a transfer Siena College who was admitted to UPMC Presbyterian.

Two other players were treated and released. They are Aaron Jackson, a guard who is one of only two returning players from Duquesne's 3-24 team of last season, and Shawn James, who transferred from Northeastern University.

"We are a community of faith and so our first instinct, our first response, is prayer for those who have been wounded and prayer for their families," University President Charles J. Dougherty said at a news conference this afternoon.

The parents of Mr. Ashaolu arrived today from Toronto to be with their son, Mr. Dougherty said.

Pittsburgh police said they were looking for a suspect, described as a black man, about 5 feet, 4 inches tall and wearing a white T-shirt.

	Audio: Duquesne University President Charles J. Dougherty, front, provides details of the shooting as he appears with Athletic Director Greg Amodio during an afternoon press conference. Click arrow icon to launch audio

The shooting occurred about 2:15 this morning on the campus near Vickroy Hall.

The five basketball players had been at a dance at the Duquesne Union. The suspect was among a group of four or five other people, none of whom were believed to be students at the university, who also were at the dance.

Soon after the dance ended, the two groups ran into each other outside Vickroy Hall. It was there that one member of the second group pulled a gun and fired between six and 12 times, the bullets striking the basketball players, police said.

Mr. Dougherty said no problems were reported during the dance, which was sponsored by the Black Student Union and attended by about 200 people.

The shooting suspect was last seen running toward Forbes Avenue.

Mr. Dougherty said additional campus police officers had been stationed at all residence halls and that the university was providing counseling for students.

Mr. Dougherty said the wounded players were victims. "They had nothing to do by way of provoking it," he said.

	Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Duquesne University police officers stand watch outside the school's A.J. Palumbo Center, which was hosting a College Fair for prospective college students and their families this afternoon. Click photo for larger image.

Asked what could have been a motive for the shooting, Mr. Dougherty responded, "What motive could there have been for unloading a pistol into a group of students?"

The shooting occurred as the university was in the process of rebuilding its basketball program.

Newly hired coach Ron Everhart, who came from Northeastern University in Boston, brought in many new players this year.

But Athletic Director Greg Amodio said officials were concerned only with the health and safety of their players.

"At this point, we're not even considering the ramifications to the basketball program," he said.

This evening, the basketball team members filed in together for the regular Sunday night Mass at Duquesne -- a somber group of tall young men -- and sat in reserved seats as the Rev. Tim Hickey, director of campus ministry, assured the gathered students that they are safe and that the university family will stick together,

"We are a tight-knit community," he said. "What affects one of us affects all of us."

He called on all members of that community to think of the injured students "and hold them in our prayers."

At the beginning of the regular Mass, the Rev. Ray French offered a prayer: "If we have sinned, we pray for forgiveness," he said, and asked for "courage in these dark days."

University officials asked media members to leave for the remainder of the Mass, out of respect for the students.

Anyone with information is asked to call the city homicide detectives at 412-323-7161.