Prosecutor: Witness told police UVA 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.
Mr. 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 Mr. 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 Mr. Jones opened fire, killing Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry and Devin Chandler.
Police have said Mr. 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.
Students described a range of emotions as they returned to classes.
“It’s a pretty surreal experience, to be honest,” said Carter Paulen, a fourth-year student majoring in systems engineering and economics. “It’s good to see friendly faces, but I think everyone is trying to feel normal again in the face of all the adversity.”
Caden Kennedy, a secondyear student, said many students returned to classes, “but there are some people who are home and need to be home.”
“I think the university itself is very aware of the fact that not everyone is ready to return,” Mr. Kennedy said. “Teachers are definitely trying to work with everyone where everyone is at.”
UVA 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 Mr. Chandler, shot him as he was sleeping, and Mr. Chandler slid to the floor, Mr. Hingeley said.
The witness said Mr. Jones was “aiming at certain people” and not shooting randomly, according to Mr. Hingeley.