Students react after a shooting at the University of Virginia
A shooting Sunday evening at the University of Virginia has left three dead and two injured, according to the University. The suspect is in custody.
Megan Smith, USA TODAY
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The suspect in the University of Virginia shooting that left three people dead and two wounded was part of a walkout that ended in tragedy Sunday night, a university spokesman said Tuesday.
UVA’s Brian Coy said suspected gunman Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., 22, was part of a group of about two dozen who traveled 120 miles by bus to see a play in Washington and then back to campus
“Someone among them decided to commit an act of violence” when the bus returned about 10:30 p.m., university police Chief Timothy Longo said. Officers responding to a report of shots fired found the bodies on the bus, he said.
Police said Jones, a former player on the school’s football team, opened fire inside the bus, killing three current members of the team while wounding at least two other students one of them also a football player.
Juniors D’Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler were identified as victims. Running back Mike Hollins, also a third-year player, was one of two people injured in the attack, his mother said.
The commotion led to a 12-hour campus lockdown as police hunted for the shooter. Jones was arrested Monday morning in Henrico County, Virginia, near Richmond. He faces three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Classes were canceled for the second day in a row Tuesday as the campus community mourned the victims and grappled with the shock of the violence.
Jones, a freshman on the 2018 team who did not play in any games, faces three counts of second-degree murder and related charges. A motive for the attack has not been determined, authorities said.
‘COMMUNITY WILL GATHER’: Vigils, prayers in wake of UVA shooting that left 3 dead
Virginia junior running back Mike Hollins is the fourth known victim of the shooting and was undergoing surgery Tuesday morning, according to his mother, Brenda. He wrote on Twitter that his son was scheduled to undergo a second surgery at 8 a.m. ET Tuesday. He asked fans to continue to pray for him and “for all the families who are going through this horrible tragedy.”
“Mike is in surgery now!!! Pray!” she wrote in a second tweet, adding the hashtags “#GODisgood” and her son’s jersey number, #7. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Hollins appeared in 21 games during his first three years at UVA. He has rushed for 215 yards and two touchdowns so far this year.
– Tom Schad
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Jones’ father, Christopher Darnell Jones Sr., says he is still trying to process the allegations against his son. Jones Mr. told NBC12 in Richmond, Va., that her son always excelled at everything he tried and had a “movie star smile.” But he said something was wrong when he and his son last spoke a month ago. She said some people were taking her son and that young Jones “didn’t know how to handle it.” Jones Mr. he told his son to ignore it and go back to school.
“What happened? Why did he have to come this far?” said his father. “I don’t know what to say except I’m sorry for him and I apologize. He’s not a bad kid. He really isn’t.”
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Virginia football coach Tony Elliott was too emotional Monday to speak publicly about the three players on his team killed in Sunday night’s shooting, saying in a statement that they had “huge aspirations” and bright futures .
Elliott is scheduled to address the media at a press conference Tuesday at 3:30 pm ET.
“I cannot find the words to express the devastation and pain our team is feeling today following the tragic events,” Elliott said in the statement. “They were incredible young men (who) touched us, inspired us and worked incredibly hard as representatives. of our program, university and community. Rest in peace, young men.”
Virginia athletic director Carla Williams said that as a mother of three, “I’m grieving for the parents and the family members. We lost three talented, bright young men. We’ll never see what their impact would have been on the world, but we will. never forget its impact on us.”
‘THE COMMUNITY WILL GATHER’: Vigils, prayer following the UVA shots that left 3 dead
Dozens of UVA students and staff members took a break from the rain and gloom Tuesday to spend time with animals provided by Service Dogs of Virginia, a nonprofit organization that places dogs with people struggling with issues that they range from diabetes to autism and PTSD.
Among the black and yellow Labradors was Champ, a sweet and rebellious service dog in training. Champ, 6 months old, is already a “fixture on campus” and has helped students decompress during finals and midterms, said his manager Amy Lowell. Lowell said the skills a dog needs to help a person with PTSD translate well to helping students during stressful situations.
“At times like these, a dog is very sensitive to what’s going on and … it’s very useful just to be fluffy and delicious,” he said.
Champ alternated between greeting students, chewing on cardboard signs that said “dogs love no charge” and barking at classmates like Holly, an 8-month-old black Labrador. Holly’s manager, assistant professor of nursing Beth Quatrara, volunteers with the nonprofit and said the event was a way for members of the nursing school to support the community
“Dealing with the aftermath of the shooting is about supporting each other and leaning on each other, reaching out to each other. And that’s what’s going to get us through,” said Quatrara, who has been teaching for 25 years. to college.” And Holly will help every step of the way.”
Therapy dogs provide comfort to students and faculty on the UVA campus
Service Dogs of Virginia provided comfort to UVA students and faculty after a deadly shooting on campus killed three students and injured two others.
Megan Smith, USA TODAY
Students, faculty and community members gathered Monday night to remember the dead and reflect on the tragedy. At frat and sorority houses just steps from the crime scene, students spray-painted “UVA Strong” and “Virginia Strong” banners, which displayed the names and numbers of Perry, Davis and Chandler. Luke Stone, 21, a management and marketing major, said the messages were meant to cheer up the emotionally torn campus community.
“It’s been a tough day for a lot of people,” Stone said, standing in front of a “Cville Strong” banner Monday afternoon. “Just a sad, hard day for all of us.”
– N’dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY