WASHINGTON - Two women were shot and injured on Friday afternoon at a community college section inside a local mall in the US state of Virginia, authorities said.

The shooting occurred at a New River Community College satellite campus located inside the New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg, Virginia, US media quoted city spokeswoman Becky Wilburn as saying.

One victim was transported via ambulance to a local hospital and the other airlifted to Roanoke, Virginia, local TV WSLS 10 reported.

A suspected shooter has been taken into police custody, according to media reports.

After the shooting, the New River Community College announced on its Facebook page that its two campuses, one in the mall and the other in Dublin, Virginia, had been closed.

The mall and surrounding stores are also closed until further notice, said the reports.