University of Virginia shooting suspect was part of field trip, school confirms
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. — A University of Virginia student who went on a field trip to see a play with classmates is the one suspected of opening fire inside the bus they were riding in when the group returned to campus, a university spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
Spokesperson Brian Coy said the suspect in the shooting, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., 22, joined what was previously described as a group of about two dozen others who traveled about 120 miles from the campus in Charlottesville, Va., to Washington for the field trip Sunday. Police said Jones, a former member of the school’s football team, shot and killed three current team members and wounded two other students, at least one of them also a football player.
The shooting set off panic and a 12-hour lockdown of the campus until the suspect was captured Monday just outside Richmond.
University President Jim Ryan said at a news conference Monday that authorities did not have a “full understanding” of the motive or circumstances of the shooting. Authorities said it was unclear how Jones was able to flee the shooting scene.
Charging documents had not been filed in the matter as of Tuesday afternoon, and it wasn’t immediately clear when Jones — who remained in custody — would make his first court appearance. It also was not clear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
UVA canceled classes and other activities Tuesday and made counselors and therapy dogs available to the university community.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin ordered flags around the state lowered to half-staff and he also made an unannounced visit to the campus. Speaking to reporters near a memorial at the football stadium, he said he came to pay “deep respects and hopefully take a moment to support these families.”
“It’s beyond anything any parent can possibly imagine,” said Youngkin, who also thanked the first responders.
The university has identified the three slain students as Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’sean Perry. Head football coach Tony Elliott said they were all “incredible young men with huge aspirations and extremely bright futures.”
Jones, a member of the school’s football team during the 2018 season, faces three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, university police Chief Timothy Longo Sr. said Monday.
Jones’ father, Chris Jones Sr., told Richmond TV station WTVR he was in disbelief Monday. “My heart goes out to their families. I don’t know what to say, except I’m sorry, on his behalf, and I apologize,” he said.
Jones came to the attention of the university’s threat-assessment team this fall in the context of a “potential hazing issue,” the university said in a statement provided to the AP on Tuesday.
During that review, university officials heard from a student that Jones made a comment about having a gun. That student did not report Jones making any threat, according to the statement.