Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended1668655804

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

What happened in University of Virginia shooting

Johanna Chisholm
Thursday 17 November 2022 03:30 GMT
University of Virginia Shooting: 3 killed, 2 injured; former football player named as suspect

The 22-year-old University of Virginia student accused of shooting dead three fellow students and wounding two others was denied bond on Wednesday as the court heard how he allegedly “targeted” specific victims in the deadly massacre.

Christopher Darnell Jones appeared via video conference at the Albemarle General District Court at 9am local time, as he was arraigned for three counts of second-degree murder and five counts of firearm use in commission of felony.

Prosecutor Jim Hingeley cited a witness statement during Wednesday’s hearing, where he described how the individual had seen Jones shoot Devin Chandler while he was asleep in what appeared to be a targeted act before his body slumped to the floor.

Football stars D’Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr were identified earlier this week as the other two victims killed in the attack.

Officials have confirmed that Mr Jones was on the field trip with the victims and was on the bus when he opened fire.

A witness also revealed the “bizarre” words the suspect said moments before opening fire.

“Chris got up and pushed and pushed Lavel,” Ryan Lynch told KYW. “After he pushed him, he was like ‘You guys are always messing with me.’”

1668435334

Victims in mass shooting not identified

At least two people were injured during a mass shooting at the University of Virginia late Sunday night where three people were confirmed to have been shot dead.

Those two victims, the university’s president Jim Ryan said in a statement shared Monday morning, are receiving medical care, but he did not provide the identity of any of the individuals harmed noting that the school is “working closely with the families of the victims.”

Johanna Chisholm14 November 2022 14:15
1668436166

First victim identified in mass shooting at UVA that left three dead

D’Sean Perry, a 22-year-old football player for the University of Virginia, was the first victim killed in the assault on Sunday night to be identified by a family member.

The 22-year-old’s father, Sean Perry, told The Daily Progress that he and his wife, Happy Perry, were flying to Charlottesville from their son’s hometown of Miami on Monday.

D’Sean made two tackles on Saturday in the school’s game against Pittsburgh and appeared in seven of UVA’s games during the 2021 season. In 2020, the 6ft 3in linebacker and defensive end played in two of the team’s 10 games and made a collegiate debut in a win over Abilene Christian, according to the school’s athletics website.

Before coming to UVA, the Miami-native played as a linebacker, defensive line and tight end at Gulliver Prep, a private co-ed school in Miami-Dade County. In 2018, he was named the South Florida Conference’s 2018 Defensive Player of the Year and he finished his senior season that same year with 89 tackles, 16.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and three interceptions.

The athletics website for the university describes him as contributing to Gulliver Prep’s 8-4 record and a playoff berth in 2018, which the school lost in the regional semi-final.

In addition to football, the proven athlete also played on his high school basketball team.

Johanna Chisholm14 November 2022 14:29
1668439045

University of Virginia linebacker named as one of three victims allegedly shot dead by fellow student

A University of Virginia star linebacker has been identified as one of the three victims allegedly killed by a fellow student and former college football player in a mass shooting on the campus grounds.

D’Sean Perry, 22, died on Sunday night when suspected gunman Christopher Darnell Jones allegedly opened fire around a parking garage on the university’s main campus along Culbreth Road in Charlottesville.

Perry’s grieving father Sean Perry confirmed his son’s death to local paper The Daily Progress on Monday morning and said that he and the victim’s mother Happy were flying from their hometown of Miami to Virginia.

Rachel Sharp has more here.

University of Virginia linebacker D’Sean Perry among three victims killed in shooting

D’Sean Perry was a linebacker and defensive end for the University of Virginia football team – the same team that suspect Christopher Darnell Jones made the roster for back in 2018

Johanna Chisholm14 November 2022 15:17
1668439332

Second victim killed in mass shooting at UVA identified as football player

A second victim in the mass shooting that took place at the University of Virginia on Sunday night was identified as Lavel David Jr.

The wide receiver for the school was one of two football players killed on Sunday night, according to a tweet from his cousin, Newberry College assistant football coach Sean Lampkin, The Richmond Times-Dispatch first reported.

University of Virginia wide receiver Lavel Davis Jr was one of two football players shot and killed Sunday night during a mass shooting at the main campus in Charlottesville that left three dead and two injured
University of Virginia wide receiver Lavel Davis Jr was one of two football players shot and killed Sunday night during a mass shooting at the main campus in Charlottesville that left three dead and two injured (University of Virginia Athletics Department)
Johanna Chisholm14 November 2022 15:22
1668440706

Cousin remembers victim killed in UVA mass shooting as ‘kind, humble’

Lavel David Jr, one of three victims killed in a mass shooting that unravelled at the University of Virginia on Sunday night, was remembered by his cousin as being a “kind” and “humble” kid.

“Saddening, saddening news this morning,” tweeted Newberry College assistant football coach Sean Lampkin, who identified himself as a counsin of the deceased wide receiver. “God took one of his most kind, humble, loving soldiers off of the battlefield last night. Please pray for my family as we are devastated by the passing my cousin Lavel Davis Jr. Love and already miss you, kid.”

Johanna Chisholm14 November 2022 15:45
1668442337

Shelter in place command dropped for university students as suspect remains at large

The University of Virginia has lifted its shelter in place command for students and staff at the Charlottesville campus, ending a near 12-hour order that was issued after three victims were said to have been killed in a mass shooting and another two injured.

There has been no arrest for the suspected shooter, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr, who according to authorities remains at large as a suspect.

At approximately 10:34am local time, university officials alerted students that they were now free to leave their rooms after a thorough search of the campus grounds were conducted by local authorities.

Johanna Chisholm14 November 2022 16:12
1668442806

Social media posts from deceased football players show young students’ last messages

Late on Sunday night, just hours before he would be fatally wounded by a shooter who went on a rampage on the University of Virginia campus, Lavel David Jr was posting on his social media feed, sharing posts from professional football players who had successfully made the leap from NCAA to NFL.

In a story on the David’s public Instagram account, he shared a post from Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The post from the NFL player showed highlights from 30-year-old’s games, a post that could easily have been interpreted as the promising young football star’s aspirations to one day graduate from university sports to the professional league.

Lavel Davis Jr, one of the victims killed during the mass shooting at the University of Virginia, shared a post from Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins late Sunday night, just hours before he would be killed by a gunman who remained at large on Monday morning
Lavel Davis Jr, one of the victims killed during the mass shooting at the University of Virginia, shared a post from Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins late Sunday night, just hours before he would be killed by a gunman who remained at large on Monday morning (Instagram/vel.187)

Two days earlier, he’d shared a post on the social media platform with several action shots from junior year with the team, alongside the caption: “Life lately.”

Johanna Chisholm14 November 2022 16:20
1668442835

Authorities confirm suspect in custody

Authorities confirmed that the suspect in University of Virginia shooting that killed three people, all of whom were identified as football players at the school, has been taken into custody.

Johanna Chisholm14 November 2022 16:20
1668443051

Three University of Virginia football stars killed in mass shooting

Three University of Virginia football stars were the victims killed during the deadly mass shooting at the Charlottesville campus on Sunday night.

The third victim to be identified in the horrific assault on Sunday night was wide receiver Devin Chandler, the Wisconsin State Journal first reported.

Chandler, originally from Huntersville, North Carolina, had previously played for the University of Wisconsin.

Johanna Chisholm14 November 2022 16:24
1668444565

Authorities not releasing information about victims injured

During a Monday morning press conference, authorities confirmed to a pool of reporters that the students injured in the attack would not be identified as they were receiving treatment in hospital.

Johanna Chisholm14 November 2022 16:49

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in