UVA shootings: Christopher Jones ‘targeted’ football players but motive still unknown, court hears

At least three people were killed and two more injured after a gunman opened fire at the University of Virginia.

On Sunday evening at approximately 10.40pm, the shooter staged their attack near a parking garage on the university’s main campus before fleeing the scene and evading police detection well into Monday morning.

The manhunt for the suspect, who police identified as student and former football player Christopher Darnell Jones, 22, plunged the university’s residences into lockdown as students and staff were commanded by the University of Virginia Police and the school’s administration to shelter in place and seek safety if they weren’t inside already.

The fatal victims have been identified as D’Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr, and Devin Chandler.

After the suspect was captured on Monday, Vice President Harris decried the violent incident at the University of Virginia.

“It’s just yet a constant reminder that we have to do better in terms of gun safety laws in our country,” Ms Harris said.

She continued: “The President was very clear about the importance of having been able to sign one of the most significant pieces of gun safety legislation for the first time in 30 years, in terms of what we just did in terms of background check expansions, but there’s still more work to be done.

“We’re gonna require and ask Congress to have the courage. But that will not take away the loss that these families have experienced, and it’s tragic.”

Perry, who was 6’3” tall and weighed 230 pounds, was a linebacker and defensive end for the Virginia Cavaliers football team – the same University of Virginia team that shooting suspect Christopher Darnell Jones made the roster for back in 2018.

The 22-year-old football star played just hours before his death, when his team took on Pittsburgh on Saturday.

According to a profile on the Virginia Cavalliers website, Perry previously played linebacker, defensive line and tight end at Gulliver Prep and was named the South Florida Conference’s 2018 Defensive Player of the Year.

He also made the Team USA under-19s team and appeared in the International Bowl in Dallas, Texas.

After graduating high school, he majored in studio art at the University of Virginia.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:

Late night on Sunday evening, students wrapping up an otherwise quiet weekend at the University of Virginia were disturbed by terror-inducing text messages and emails from the school’s dean and Office of Emergency Management, warning that an active shooter had touched the main campus and had evaded arrest by authorities.

“UVA Alert: ACTIVE ATTACKER firearm reported in area of Culbreth Road. RUN HIDE FIGHT,” tweeted the university’s police force in a late-night message that sent panic throughout the campus.

It was later confirmed by the University of Virginia Office of Emergency Management that a mass shooting had unfolded at a parking garage on the university’s main campus along Culbreth Road in Charlottesville on Sunday night.

At least three people were killed and two were injured, the school’s president, Jim Ryan, confirmed in a statement early in the morning on Monday.

The Independent’s Johanna Crisholm has the story:

Officers first identified the suspected shooter in the massacre just after midnight on Monday, while sharing a headshot of 22-year-old Cristopher Darnell Jones that appeared to be lifted from UVA’s athletics’ website, as he was a former football player for the school.

“The UVA Police Department is looking for Christopher Darnell Jones regarding the shooting incident that occurred on the grounds of the University of Virginia. Call 911 if seen, do not approach,” the department tweeted, warning that he was believed to be “armed and dangerous” in several follow-up posts.

Mr Jones, who is suspected of killing three students, including fellow UVA football players D’Sean Perry, 22, and wide receivers Lavel Davis Jr and Devin Chandler, reportedly grew up in Richmond and played football at two area high schools.

He was a former football player for the UVA and is included on the university’s athletics website on the 2018 roster, though he didn’t appear in any games.

The Independent’s Johanna Chisholm has more:

In a statement on Monday evening, University of Virginia Head Football Coach Tony Elliot said the killings had deeply affected the team.

“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 death of Lavel, D’Sean and Devin ...” Mr Elliot wrote. “These were incredible young men with huge aspirations and extremely bright futures. Our hearts ache for their families, their classmates and their friends.”

In a 2018 profile from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Virginia newspaper described how Mr Jones grew up in Essex Village and Mosby Court housing complexes in Richmond.

In that same article, Mr Jones was described as being a smart and quiet child by his grandmother, known to him and his siblings as “Grannie”.

“I lift him up more in prayer because I can see the hand of God on him,” said his “Grannie,” Mary Jones in the news article. “He was quiet. Even in school, quiet. His sisters and his brothers would tease. But he was smart. He’s destined for more.”

For Mr Jones, he characterised his parents’ divorce as being “traumatic” as his father left when he was five years old and didn’t return until he was a teen.

“My dad and me were really close. It just hurt me when he had to leave,” he said. “That was one of the most traumatic things that happened to me in my life. I didn’t understand why he left. When I went to school, people didn’t understand me.”

The Independent’s Johanna Chisholm has the story:

UVA Police Chief Tim Longo was holding a live-streamed news briefing on Monday when he was informed by a captain that Christopher Darnell Jones, 22, had been taken into custody in connection to the shooting at the university’s main campus in Charlottesville on Sunday night.

“We just received information the suspect is in custody,” Mr Longo said at the presser. “Just giving a moment to thank God and breathe a sigh of relief.”

Mr Jones’ arrest just after 11am local time was announced after warnings to the public that he was considered “armed and dangerous.”

It was not clear if 22-year-old Christopher Darnell Jones, who was taken into custody on Monday morning by authorities, had any known motive behind the alleged attack on students at the University of Virginia.

During a Monday morning press conference, local authorities confirmed that Mr Jones has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder.

UVA Police Chief Timothy Longo revealed on Monday that a UVA multidisciplinary threat assessment team launched an investigation after receiving reports that Mr Jones made comments about owning a gun to an individual unaffiliated with the university.

Mr Longo said that Mr Jones had not made threats at the time, but simply mentioned he had a firearm.

The Independent’s Andrea Blanco has the story:

UVA Police Chief Tim Longo mentioned that the suspect, 22-year-old Christopher Darnell Jones, had been investigated in connection to an alleged hazing incident but the inquiry fell apart after witnesses did not come forward with information.

A threat assessment team at UVA learned that Mr Jones had violated protocol by not informing the university about a criminal incident in February 2021 in which he had been involved. The criminal investigation took place outside of Charlottesville and was in relation to a concealed weapon violation, NBC reported.

“He’s required as a student at the University of Virginia to report that and he never did, so the University has taken appropriate administrative charges through the University’s judiciary council and that matter is still pending adjudication,” Mr Longo said.

The Independent’s Andrea Blanco has the story: