The University of Virginia canceled classes Tuesday, as it “continues to deal with the emotional burden” of Sunday’s shooting , which resulted in three of the school’s football players dead, and two others injured.
The shooting led to an hour-long manhunt that ran from the night of Sunday through Monday morning. The hunt ended when the suspected shooter, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. was arrested within Henrico County, about 80 miles to the east of Charlottesville. Jones is charged with three counts of second-degree murder as well as three charges of using a handgun for the purpose of committing an offense that is a crime, UVA Police Chief Timothy Longo Sr. stated Monday.
Police haven’t offered an explanation to the incident.
The three victims in the shootings comprised the wide receivers Devin Chandler and Lavel Davis Jr. and defensive lineman D’Sean Perry, according to the school.
Another two students injured However, just one one of them – Michael Hollins – was identified. Two of the injured students are receiving treatment in the UVA Medical Center, with one being in critical condition, and the other being in good condition, UVA spokesperson Brian Coy said, refusing to identify the students.
A wave of support , local and national – came into Charlottesville following the breaking news Monday. Charlottesville University held a candle-lit vigil on Monday that attracted hundreds to the campus according to a tweet image from the football team of the school.
Women’s basketball players of Virginia Tech, a rival school Virginia Tech wore “#HokiesforHoos” T-shirts on Monday.
The University of Wisconsin, where Chandler was a former player, issued an announcement that their team had been “deeply sorrowful ” at the tragic death of Chandler.
“This is a very difficult moment for staff and players due to the impact Devin made on his family, teammates and friends,” the statement read. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends, as well as his Virginia team.”
Vice-President Kamala Harris spoke on the shooting shortly after swearing in a new ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago on Monday.
“It’s sad,” Harris said. “Of obviously, all of our thoughts are for family members of those killed, and it’s a constant reminder of the need to improve our understanding of the laws regarding gun safety in the United States.”
There have been at least 68 shootings that occurred in the past year, on US campus, including 15 on campus of colleges with at most one person killed in each instance, without mentioning the person who shot. The most deadly school shooting in recent US history was the attack in 2007 that occurred at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, in which a student aged 23 killed 32 people before committing suicide.
The shooting on Charlottesville campus Charlottesville campus is also among the more than 600 mass shootings across the US this year, as per the Gun Violence Archive, which similar to CNN lists cases in which at least four persons are wounded, but not the shooter.
An alleged gunman was identified by an officer
This shooting incident at UVA was carried out on Sunday when the class returned from an excursion for Washington, DC. The class had been to see an action, university officials stated, but it wasn’t certain which Jones was part of the class or participated in the field excursion.
Police responded to a call of shots fired just before 10:00 p.m. in a location close to a parking garage located in Culbreth Road and surrounded by academic buildings, University President Jim Ryan said. Two of the victims were killed inside the bus, and the third one being admitted to a hospital which is where he passed away, according to Longo the police department’s chief.
The emergency triggered a shelter-in place alert that was lifted 12 hours after, Longo said. Over 500 people were sheltered across campuses, including classrooms and libraries the professor said.
Classes at UVA as well as for Charlottesville cities schools have been suspended Monday in the wake of the shooting.
Authorities launched a search for Jones after the incident on Sunday. Then, around 11 a.m. ET on Monday the 11th of January, the Henrico County police officer spotted the vehicle Jones was driving in the eastern part of the county. Jones was “taken into custody without incident,” according to news announcement from the division of police.
Jones is listed on the UVA Athletics site as an player in the year 2018, but as an undergraduate did not play in any game. He was a student at Varina High School as well as Petersburg High School, where the team was an offensive linebacker and a running back according to his school’s athletics bio.
A UVA spokesperson said Jones suffered from an injury that was pre-existing which prevented him from playing on the team’s football team in the year 2018. Jones was treated for medical issues and rehabilitation throughout his time as a player and was only part on the team a single season, according to the spokesperson.
The spokesperson refused to provide specifics on Jones his injury.
Jones was previously under the watch of the campus authorities. In September, police discovered that Jones “had been caught making a statement about having a gun” to an individual “unaffiliated by the University,” Longo said at the news conference on Monday. However, the person who made the comment never had a look at the gun according to Longo.
“Through an investigation by the investigation of the threat assessment team we discovered an incident in the past that was a criminal matter involving an unintentional weapon violation that took place outside of Charlotteville. Charlotteville in the month of February 2021,” Longo said, noting that it was mandatory for the person involved to disclose the event to the school, but the university never received the report. The university’s judicial council was appointed to handle the matter and the findings are still pending.
Jones was also part of an investigation into hazing on campus, which was shut down because witnesses refused to cooperate, Longo said.
The 3 players killed and one wounded are UVA football players.
Three of the three victims as well as at the very least those injured were identified as UVA soccer players.
Lavel Davis Jr. A sophomore who hails from South Carolina, was one of the best wide receivers on the Virginia Cavaliers this season. At 6 feet 7 inches, Davis was the team’s main deep threat. He had 16 catches that accounted for three71 yards as well as two scores during the year. That’s an incredible 23.2 yards for each catch.
D’Sean Perry Linebacker in junior school, has appeared in 15 games during the past three seasons. In the game on Saturday against Pittsburgh Perry, he scored 2 tackles during the team’s 37-7 loss. In a statement released by their lawyer, Michael Haggard, Perry’s parents expressed their gratitude to their South Florida and Charlottesville communities for their support following the shooting.
Devin Chandler, a junior wide receiver and kick returner was recently moved to UVA during the offseason after playing at University of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin.
One of the patients who are injured is Michael Hollins, according to Andrew Martin, the head football coach at the University Lab School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Hollins is an aspiring junior running back with UVA according to the roster for the team. CNN has attempted to reach out to Hollins family members but hasn’t received any response.
Hollins dad, Michael Hollins Sr. Michael Hollins Sr., told The Washington Post his son was wounded in the back and it lodged within his stomach. Hollins Sr. told the Post that he’s expecting to recover.
Hollins was set to graduate in December , earning a the degree of entrepreneurship as well as African American history, his father said to the Post.
