In the aftermath of the tragedy at the University of Virginia, the school, and families of the victims are still searching for answers.
Late Sunday night, former UVA football player Christoper Darnell Jones Jr is alleged to have opened fire on a charter bus after students were returning from a class field trip. While the 22 year old was arrested “without incident”, those in the UVA community are still in shock following the tragedy which left 3 students dead and 2 more injured.
Junior wide receiver Lavel Davis Jr, junior receiver Devin Chandler and junior DE/LB D’Sean Perry lost their lives, while two other students were wounded in the attack. Both survivors were hospitalized with one classified as stable, while the other was listed in critical condition.
In the days following the incident, the student listed as “stable” was identified as junior running back Mike Hollins according to the boy’s father. As of Tuesday morning, the other unidentified female victim had been upgraded to stable condition.
Jones Jr was arrested and charged with three counts of second-degree murder, and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony. He is currently being held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail without bail.
Initial reports indicate that Jones Jr. was involved in both a hazing investigation, and another university led investigation regarding his possession of firearms prior to the incident on the bus.
Attorney James Hingeley told the judge assigned to the case that Jones Jr. had previously been convicted of a misdemeanour concealed weapon charge, and also had outstanding warrants stemming from hit and run property damage and reckless driving charges from 2021 as well.
UVA Football Coach Tony Elliott released a public statement which read “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…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.”
The school’s athletic director Carla Williams continued saying “As a mother of three children, I ache for the parents and family members…We lost three talented and bright young men. We will never see what their impact on the world would have been, but we will never forget their impact on us. I miss Lavel, D’Sean and Devin. I pray for peace, comfort and hope for their parents and loved ones. For their teammates, coaches and friends, I pray for strength and a peace that surpasses all understanding.”
On Nov 16th the school announced that it would be cancelling its final home game of the season on November 19th vs. Coastal Carolina as the community continues to mourn. A decision as to whether the team will play its season finale on November 26th vs. Virginia Tech has yet to be made.
In an act of solidarity with the school, the ACC announced that it will honour UVA with several conference wide initiatives including the use of helmet decals, and “UVA Strong” graphics on field at ACC home games this weekend.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: xiquinhosilva. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.