A former University of Virginia football player suspected of killing three football players and injuring two other students on campus late Sunday night is in custody following a manhunt in Charlottesville, Virginia, police confirmed Monday.
During a news conference Monday, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan said three Cavaliers players were shot and killed: junior Lavel Davis Jr. of Dorchester, South Carolina; junior receiver Devin Chandler of Huntersville, North Carolina; and junior tight end/linebacker D’Sean Perry of Miami.
Authorities said the shooting suspect, identified as Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., has been taken into custody. University of Virginia Police Chief Tim Longo said Jones was arrested and charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony.
Jones was listed as a freshman running back on the team’s 2018 roster, and his roster bio noted that he previously played at Petersburg High School and Varina High School in Virginia.
Ryan said two other students were shot and hospitalized; he said one was in good condition and one was in critical condition. Ryan did not identify the other students.
Ryan said the shooting happened on a charter bus after students returned to campus from a field trip. He called the incident a “sad, shocking and tragic day for the university community.”
“Let me say how sorry I am for the victims, their family and their friends,” Ryan said.
Ryan said the students had traveled to Washington, D.C., on Sunday to attend a performance as part of a field trip. Longo said the students enjoyed a meal together and then “one of them chose to commit an act of violence.”
About 13 minutes into Monday’s 20-minute news conference, Longo was interrupted by another law enforcement official and told that Jones had been captured. After announcing the arrest, Longo paused.
“I just need a moment to thank God and breathe a sigh of relief,” Longo told reporters.
The UVA Police Department had tweeted Monday morning that it was looking for Jones about the shooting, which happened in a parking garage on campus around 10:30 pm ET on Sunday. The tweet included the same photo of Jones that was used for his online Virginia football bio.
Ryan confirmed in a message to the community at 4 a.m. Monday that three people were killed and two others were injured. Ryan wrote that “one of our students, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., is suspected of carrying out the shooting.”
At 10:33 a.m. ET, a shelter-in-place order was lifted on the Virginia campus, following a “thorough sweep in and around” the campus, according to a tweet from the UVA Police Department.
Longo said during the press conference that the university’s multidisciplinary threat assessment team was notified in September by someone that Jones had made a comment about having a gun on campus. Longo said the person, who was not affiliated with the university, had never seen the gun.
“The comment about Mr. Jones having a gun was not made in connection with any threat,” Longo said.
Longo said the Student Affairs office contacted the person who reported Jones’ comments about the gun and attempted to speak with Jones.
Jones’ roommate told the university he didn’t see a gun, Longo said.
The university later learned that Jones had been charged with concealed weapons charges outside of Charlottesville in February 2021. He was asked to report the criminal charges to the university, but failed to do so. Longo said the university had taken administrative charges through the judicial council against Jones and the case was still pending.
“I thought it was important to share that information with you,” Longo said during the press conference. “To let you know that he was brought to our attention and to answer any questions you may have about it. I want you to hear this from me and not from anyone else.”
Longo said Jones was also the subject of an open investigation, but the case was closed because witnesses would not cooperate with the process.
Davis had 16 catches for 371 yards and two touchdowns this season. As a freshman in 2020, he caught 20 passes for 515 yards and five TDs, averaging 25.8 yards per catch. He sat out the 2021 season due to a knee injury that required surgery.
“Sad, sad news this morning,” Newberry College assistant coach Sean Lampkin, a cousin of Davis, tweeted Monday. “God took one of his best, humblest and beloved soldiers off the battlefield last night. Please pray for my family as we are devastated by the death of my cousin Lavel Davis Jr.”
Davis’ father, Lavel Davis Sr., said in a Facebook post: “God, please help me.”
Perry had five tackles in three games this season, including two in Saturday’s loss to Pitt. He had an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown during his first season in 2020.
Chandler has not appeared in any games this season. He caught two passes for 28 yards as a 2020 freshman.
“Although we do not yet have a full understanding of the motive and circumstances of these events, police are investigating as we speak,” Ryan said during Monday’s news conference.
“This is an unimaginably sad day for our community. The entire university community is grieving this morning. My heart is broken for the victims and their families and for all those who knew and loved them, and they are all in my prayers. I’ve said it before, when I look at our students, I look at my kids, and I can’t imagine anything worse for a parent than to lose a child.”
Monday’s men’s basketball game between Northern Iowa and Virginia has been canceled, it was announced.
