University of Virginia football players killed in shooting, police say
A suspect is in custody after killing three University of Virginia football players on a charter bus returning from a field trip, police say.
Ariana Triggs, USA TODAY
Three University of Virginia football players were killed in a shooting on Sunday and a former Cavaliers football player has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder.
Linebacker D’Sean Perry, wide receiver Lavel Davis Jr. and wide receiver Devin Chandler were shot to death Sunday night, UVA police chief Tim Longo announced at a Monday morning news conference.
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., the suspect in the shooting, was captured in Henrico County, where he lived before moving with his family to Petersburg, Virginia, police confirmed to USA TODAY Network and later announced publicly.
“This is a sad, shocking and tragic day for our UVA community,” University of Virginia President Jim Ryan said.
Two other students were hospitalized, Longo said. One is in good condition, the other is in critical condition. Officials have not released their names.
Here’s what we know at the moment:
Details of the University of Virginia shooting
At 10:31 p.m. ET Sunday night, the University of Virginia Police Department posted a message to its Twitter account, indicating that shots had been fired near the Culbreth Garage, on the northern edge of campus. Police advised people to shelter in place and the university issued a campus-wide lockdown as the alleged shooter remained at large.
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan said Monday morning in a news conference that the shooting took place on a charter bus near the garage after the bus had returned from an off-campus field trip.
Police continued to provide updates on Twitter on Sunday night, sharing physical descriptions of the alleged suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., and information about the car the suspect may have been driving.
At 4:34 a.m., police said the shooting killed three people and injured two others.
Police said multiple law enforcement agencies began a complete search of the university grounds in search of the suspect. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said agents responded to the incident and were on campus to assist with the investigation.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted Monday morning at 10:33 a.m. and police announced at 11:24 a.m. during a news conference that the suspect had been taken into custody.
Chris Jones faces charges in shooting
The suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was a member of the Cavaliers football team for one season in 2018, but continued to attend classes at the school. The 5-9 Jones was a running back and linebacker from Petersburg, Virginia.
Jones faces three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun to commit a felony, Longo said.
Longo also added that Jones had previously been reported to the school’s threat assessment team in September 2022 after a person not affiliated with the school heard Jones make a comment about owning a gun.
The victims:
Linebacker D’Sean Perry
Perry is a 6-3 junior from Miami who made two tackles in the Cavaliers’ game Saturday against Pittsburgh. Perry made his collegiate debut in 2020, returning an interception 84 yards for a touchdown on the final play against Abilene (Texas) Christian.
Perry graduated from Gulliver Prep in Miami-Dade County, Florida, in 2019 where he played linebacker, defensive line and tight end for the Raiders. He was named the 2018 South Florida Conference Defensive Player of the Year after finishing the season with 89 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, three sacks and three interceptions.
“D’Sean was the ultimate student/athlete who never had an enemy,” recruiting analyst Larry Blustein told the Palm Beach Post in a text. “While several schools didn’t take notice of what he brought to the table as an athlete, the University of Virginia understood what he was all about — on and off the playing field.”
Wide receiver Lavel Davis Jr.
Davis, a junior wide receiver, hailed from Dorchester, South Carolina and was known as a deep threat who could stretch the field. He returned this season after a torn anterior cruciate ligament sidelined him for all of 2021.
In eight games this season, Davis had caught 16 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns. His 23.19 yard-per-reception average led all FBS players. Davis had missed Virginia’s last two contests with a concussion.
“I was just really happy to be out there,” Davis said Sept. 3 after a season-opening victory against Richmond, his first game back from his ACL injury. “I’m really happy with how everything turned out the way it did. I’m just grateful, really thankful for my team trusting me and putting me back out there for the first game of the season. Just grateful.”
As a freshman in 2020, Davis appeared in eight of Virginia’s 10 games, catching 20 passes for 515 yards with five scores, including one that went for 90 yards in a game against Abilene Christian. His yard-per-reception average that season of 25.75 ranked second-best in the country. His receiving yard total ranked seventh-best in the country among all freshmen. He was the only player in the country that season to eclipse 500 yards on fewer than 20 catches.
Davis played receiver and safety at Woodland High School, in Dorchester, where he earned all-state honors as a senior, following a 40-catch, 622-yard, seven-touchdown season. He also played basketball and track and field.
Davis had been in the College of Arts and Sciences with an undecided major.
Wide receiver Devin Chandler
A 6-foot wide receiver and kick returner from Huntersville, North Carolina, Chandler transferred to Virginia this season from the University of Wisconsin.
Chandler appeared in six games in his two seasons with the Badgers, highlighted by a 59-yard kickoff return in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Wake Forest at the end of the 2020 season. He averaged 26.0 yards on six kickoff returns, had two receptions for 28 yards and rushed one time for 18 yards in 2020.
Wisconsin nose tackle Curt Neal and other Badger players posted messages on Twitter to mourn Chandler’s death.
“I can’t breathe my boy,” Neal, also a North Carolina native, wrote. “I should never have to make a RIP post about you. I’m hurt.”
Wisconsin interim head coach Jim Leonhard also released a statement Monday in remembrance of Chandler.
“I was shocked and saddened to hear of Devin’s passing,” Leonhard wrote. “He had a lasting impact on his teammates even after he left UW, which is a testament to the type of person he was.
“His personality was infectious and he was a joy to be around. Our team is hurting for him and his family. I want to personally extend my condolences to his family and the Virginia football family.”
Current situation at the University of Virginia
A shelter-in-place order throughout the UVa grounds lasted for about 12 hours until it was lifted Monday morning once police determined the suspect was no longer in the area.
All classes have been canceled for Monday.
“I cannot find the words to express the devastation and heartache that our team is feeling today after the tragic events last night that resulted in the deaths of Lavel, D’Sean and Devin, and the others who were injured,” football coach Tony Elliott said Monday in a statement emailed to reporters. “These were incredible young men with huge aspirations and extremely bright futures. Our hearts ache for their families, their classmates and their friends. These precious young men were called away too soon. We are all fortunate to have them be a part of our lives. They touched us, inspired us and worked incredibly hard as representatives of our program, university and community. Rest in peace, young men.”
Monday night’s scheduled men’s basketball game at John Paul Jones Arena against Northern Iowa has been canceled.
On Monday morning, Coastal Carolina football coach Jamey Chadwell expressed his condolences: “Our program is heartbroken for UVA, the victim’s families, loved ones and the entire community of Charlottesville.”
The Chanticleers are scheduled to play at Virginia on Saturday afternoon. There’s been no official word yet on the status of that game.
Contributing: Jon Santucci, Palm Beach Post
