Witness told police suspect targeted victims
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A witness who saw a University of Virginia student open fire onboard a bus returning from a field trip told police the gunman targeted specific victims — many of them football players — shooting one as he slept, a prosecutor said in court Wednesday.
The details emerged during the suspect’s first court appearance, the same day students returned to classes and the university announced it was canceling its Saturday football game in the wake of the deadly shooting.
A witness who was shown a photo of the shooting suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., identified him as the gunman, the prosecutor said. The violence Sunday night left three football players dead and one player and another student wounded.
Jones, a former football player, appeared by video link from a local jail for the court hearing Wednesday. He did not enter a plea to the numerous charges he faces and said he plans to hire an attorney. A judge ordered him held without bond and appointed a public defender to represent him until he secures private counsel.
University officials and police have said Jones, who turns 23 on Thursday, joined a group of about two dozen others on a field trip Sunday from the Charlottesville campus to see a play in the nation’s capital, about 120 miles away. When their bus arrived back on campus, authorities have said Jones opened fire, killing Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry and Devin Chandler.
Police have said Jones was able to flee the shooting scene, setting off a manhunt and 12-hour campus lockdown that left many students petrified. He faces three counts of second-degree murder, two counts of malicious wounding and additional gun-related charges.
The violence at the state’s flagship public university has set off days of mourning among students and faculty, the broader Charlottesville community and other supporters. Classes resumed Wednesday, as the school announced it was canceling its final home game of the season scheduled for the weekend against Coastal Carolina. No decision has been made yet about its final game of the season Nov. 26 against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
The university will not be requiring undergraduate students to complete any graded assignments or take exams before the Thanksgiving break. University President Jim Ryan has opened his on-campus home to students during the afternoons this week, and a memorial service for the victims is in the works.
During Wednesday’s court hearing, Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney James Hingeley gave a brief accounting of what police say happened Sunday night after officers responded to a report of shots fired near a parking garage.
One witness told police the suspect pointed the gun at Chandler, shot him as he was sleeping, and Chandler slid to the floor, Hingeley said.
The witness said Jones was “aiming at certain people” and not shooting randomly, according to Hingeley.
The public defender appointed to represent Jones did not address the substance of the charges Wednesday. She also declined comment outside of court.
Jones, who has been in custody since he was arrested in suburban Richmond late Monday morning, appeared somber. He did not speak during the hearing except to respond to questions from the judge, including about his employment and ability to pay for an attorney.
Hingeley also reviewed Jones’ past criminal record in court Wednesday. In February 2021, Jones was charged in Chesterfield County with possession of a concealed handgun and given a 12-month suspended sentence.
At the time of that arrest, Jones had two outstanding warrants in connection with a hitand-run accident with property damage and reckless driving from Petersburg. He was convicted of both charges and also given 12-month suspended sentences on both, Hingeley said.
The university has said Jones’ failure to report the misdemeanor concealed weapon conviction was a consideration in an ongoing review of Jones by its threat-assessment team. The university initially said its student affairs office had escalated Jones’ case in late October to the University Judiciary Committee, a student-run body that could have enacted disciplinary action. But late Tuesday night, spokesperson Brian Coy confirmed the university had not actually escalated the report. It finally did so Tuesday night, Coy said.
The university’s governing board — the Board of Visitors — held an emergency meeting Wednesday to receive briefings from law enforcement, emergency management officials, staff members and legal counsel on the shooting and the investigation, according to a public agenda. The board held its meeting in executive session. The public was not allowed to be present, and a university spokesperson said board members would have no comment.