Updated as of 4:45 p.m. 11/15/22: A press conference was held Tuesday by UVA Athletics to address the tragic shooting. University of Virginia football coach Tony Elliott stood alongside athletic director Carla Williams and spoke to reporters. Elliott remarked that the tragic death of three players “feels like a nightmare.” He added: “My heart is hurting right now. I’m waiting for someone to pinch me and wake me up.” Elliott also revealed that the team is finding ways to celebrate the lives of victims D’Sean Perry, Devin Chandler and Lavel Davis Jr. Mike Hollins, who was injured in the shooting, had a second surgery on Tuesday. The other person who was hurt has not been identified to the public. UVA is set to play Coastal Carolina this weekend. However, a decision about whether to play or not has not been decided. Williams stated: “That will be a discussion between coach and the team. We’ll make a decision soon.”
Police arrested Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. who is suspected of killing three football players and injuring two others at a parking garage at the University of Virginia. At a news conference Monday morning, police shared that Jones was taken into custody and charged with murder. The shooting occurred on Sunday evening around 10:30 p.m.
School officials said the five students were shot on a bus that had returned from a field trip. The deceased victims were identified as Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr. The identities of the other two injured students were not revealed but officials said one was in good condition. The other is in critical condition.
Jones had previously been involved in a campus hazing investigation, but it didn’t lead to disciplinary action. The university’s president, Jim Ryan, took to social media to explain the details of the incident. “This is a message any leader hopes never to have to send, and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia.”
On Sunday night, the university’s emergency management issued a warning alerting the campus community of an “active attacker firearm.” Classes were also canceled Monday.
“I am holding the victims, their families, and all members of the University of Virginia community in my heart today, and we will make plans to come together as a community to grieve as soon as the suspect is apprehended,” Ryan said.
This is the second university shooting to take place over the weekend. In Moscow, Idaho on Sunday, police reported that four University of Idaho students were found dead in a residence close to the campus. Authorities investigating the tragedy have ruled the deaths as suspected homicides.
In a statement, Moscow police said: “This is an ongoing investigation. Information will be updated as soon as next of kin is notified and we have information we can share. The Moscow Police Department gives our heartfelt condolences to family members, friends and the Moscow community.”