Three killed, two injured in University of Virginia mass shooting

The University of Virginia is in mourning after three members of the football team were killed and two other students were injured in a mass shooting on the Charlottesville campus Sunday night.

University of Virginia shooting

The university reported the shooting around 10:30 p.m which authorities said unfolded on a bus as it returned from a field trip.

During a news conference on Monday, University of Virginia president Jim Ryan said three football players were shot and killed, identified as Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry.

Ryan said the shooting took place on a charter bus after students returned to campus from a field trip in Washington, DC. He called the incident a “sad, shocking and tragic day for the university community.”

“Let me say how deeply sorry I am for the victims and for their family and friends,” Ryan said.

In a statement, Virginia football coach Tony Elliott said his team is experiencing “devastation and heartache.”

“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,” Elliott said in the statement.

“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.”

University of Virginia shooting suspect

The suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., faces three charges of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, UVA Police Chief Timothy Longo Sr. told reporters Monday morning.

Jones, 22, was taken into custody by Henrico County police, “without incident” just before 11 a.m. Monday, the department said.

He is a University of Virginia student and ex-UVA football player. He was listed on the 2018 roster shared on the official website of the Virginia Cavaliers, but did not appear on the roster in any of the following seasons.

The victims

Devin Chandler

Devin Chandler (Photo Source: University of Virginia)

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Devin Chandler was a junior wide receiver from Huntersville, North Carolina.

Alvis Whitted, the team’s wide receiver coach, remembered Chandler as an “exceptional” player and an “all-around good guy who had a smile that would light up any room.”

Lavel Davis Jr.

Lavel Davis Jr.

Lavel Davis Jr., was a junior wide receiver from Ridgeville, South Carolina.

Davis was revered as a “dynamic playmaker with a flair for breaking open games with acrobatic catches resulting in long gains”.

His father, Thaddeus Davis, described his son as someone with a kind smile.

D’Sean Perry

D’sean Perry

D’Sean Perry was a junior defensive end/linebacker from Miami.

Earl Sims, the head football coach at Gulliver Preparatory School, which Perry attended from eighth to 12th grade, said in a written statement Monday that Perry “was an amazing soul that made his family and community proud.”

We send our thoughts and condolences to those affected by this senseless tragedy.