Shooting suspect’s father speaks out

The father of a University of Virginia student accused of gunning down three players on the school’s football team is still working to process the horrific act — but he suspects bullying may have played a role in the violence.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. evaded authorities for more than 12 hours after he opened fire on a bus of students returning to campus Sunday night. He was taken into custody in Henrico County on Monday morning on three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, police said.

The suspect’s father, Christopher Darnell Jones Sr., was left in shock by his son’s alleged actions.

“I can’t believe it was him,” Jones Sr. told NBC12 Monday night.

The last time he saw his son was about a month before the shooting, when he turned up to do laundry at their home in Charlottesville.

“He had some problems the last time I talked to him. He said some people was picking on him or whatever, he didn’t know how to handle it, and I just told him don’t pay it any mind and just go to school,” Jones Sr. recalled.