The president of the university announced Monday that a student at the University
of Virginia is accused of shooting and killing three of the school’s football players
on Sunday. Authorities said on Monday that the suspect, identified as student
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was in arrest.
In a press conference, UVA President Jim Ryan named the murdered victims as
Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry. Two further kids were being
treated for gunshot wounds, one of whom was in critical condition and the other
was in good condition.
Ryan told reporters, “This is a sad, startling, and devastating day for our UVA
community.” “This morning, the entire campus community is in mourning. My
prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone who knew and cared
about them. My heart is devastated for them.”
According to Ryan, Chandler was a second-year student, Davis was in his third
year, and Perry was in his fourth.
A bus “full of students” was returning from a play in Washington, D.C. late on
Sunday night when the shooting took place nearby a campus parking garage,
according to Ryan. Around 10:30 p.m., according to Ryan, police responded to a
report of gunfire.
During the press briefing, Tim Longo, the university’s police head, was informed of
the suspect’s capture. The chief added, “Just need a moment to thank God and let
out a sigh of relief.”
Henrico County, Virginia’s police department reported that the 22-year-old suspect
was apprehended without incident shortly before 11 a.m. the area southeast of
Charlottesville. No other information was made available right away.
Longo stated the suspect was charged with three charges of second-degree murder
and three counts of using a pistol in the commission of a felony before announcing
the arrest.
Outside of Charlottesville in February 2021, the suspect was involved in a criminal
incident involving a concealed weapon violation, according to Longo. The suspect
was obligated to disclose the violation to university officials, but he didn’t, the
chief said, without offering any further information.
The university’s threat assessment team learned that the suspect had a gun in
September, according to a report, Longo said. Officials from the university made
contact with the suspect and attempted to speak with the suspect’s roommate,
who didn’t mention seeing a gun, according to Longo.
The image of Jones that is seen below was taken from the university’s athletics
website in 2018, when he was identified as a freshman player for the UVA football
team.The police chief claimed he was unaware of the degree of the victims’ familiarity
with the suspect.
Tony Elliott, the team’s first-year head football coach, sat by himself outside the
team’s gym for hours following the arrest, occasionally burying his head in his
hands. The victims, he claimed, “were all excellent kids,” and he promised to
discuss more about them “when the time is right.”
Prior to this, Chandler studied at the University of Wisconsin. Jim Leonhard, the
interim head coach for Wisconsin, said Chandler “has left a lasting impression on
his teammates long after he graduated from UW, which speaks much about the
kind of person he was. He was fun to be around and had a contagious attitude. For
him and his family, our crew is in deep sorrow.’
Chris Jones Sr., the suspect’s father, expressed his sympathy to the victims’ families
to CBS station WTVR-TV. Jones remarked that he “couldn’t believe it was (his) kid,”
adding that he “didn’t know what to say, other than I’m sorry on his behalf and I
apologise.”
F
ollowing the shooting, teachers and staff were advised to remain indoors as late
Sunday night. At 10:42 p.m., the university’s emergency management department
tweeted a warning about a “active attacker firearm.” After a “thorough search” on
and around the campus, the shelter-in-place order was lifted late Monday
morning, according to police.
In a tweet, Ryan stated that “there has been a shooting on Culbreth Road and the
suspect is at large and considered armed and dangerous.” Later, Ryan wrote a
letter to the university’s student body in which he expressed his “heartbreak” at
learning that three people had died as a result of the shooting and two others had
been taken to the hospital to receive treatment for unidentified wounds.
Multiple law enforcement organisations were looking for a suspect who was
“armed and dangerous,” according to a notification the UVA Police Department
placed online. Only the authorised necessary workers should report to work,
according to Ryan’s letter from Monday morning.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, a UVA student who was in her dorm
room close to Culbreth Road claimed she heard six bullets fired. On social media,
Virginia’s elected officials responded to the incident.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin posted on Twitter that he and his wife, Suzanne Youngkin,
were praying for the UVA community that morning.
Sen. Tim Kaine tweeted, “Heartbroken to hear of another Virginia neighbourhood
decimated by gun violence.” “Praying and watching the situation very closely for
the UVA community.”