Local police have arrested former Virginia walk-on football player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a lone gunman who killed three members of the 2022 Cavaliers football team and injured two others in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Sunday night. Football players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry were all fatally shot, according to University of Virginia President Jim Ryan.
Two other students were hospitalized for gunshot wounds. Mike Hollins, one of the survivors, remains in critical condition after suffering a gunshot wound to the back that is believed to have exited through his abdomen. He is on a ventilator after undergoing surgery Sunday night and will undergo a second procedure with the ventilator scheduled to be removed Tuesday, according to Sports Illustrated.
The other student, hospitalized but listed in stable condition, is not a member of the football team.
Jones is initially charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, although the charges could change. UVA Police Chief Tim Longo was alerted during a Monday morning press conference that Jones was arrested around 11 a.m. ET.
Jones, an active student at Virginia but no longer a member of the football team, is accused of shooting five people on a bus near the Culbreth Garage parking deck on UVA Central Grounds on Sunday around 10:16 p.m. According to Ryan, the shooting occurred after a class trip to see a play in Washington, DC.
“I cannot find the words to express the devastation and sadness our team feels today after the tragic events last night that resulted in the deaths of Lavel, D’Sean and Devin, and the others who were injured,” said the trainer, Tony Elliott. in a statement. “These were incredible young men with great 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 lucky to have them as 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.”
A shelter in place order was lifted late Monday morning after the Virginia campus was closed with classes canceled as a “thorough search” for Jones was completed. Charlottesville City Schools also canceled classes for more than 4,000 local students.
“This is an unimaginably sad day for our community,” Ryan said. “The entire university community is grieving this morning. My heart is broken for the victims and their families and for everyone who knew and loved them. They are all in my prayers. When I see our students, I see my own children. I can I can imagine nothing worse for a parent than losing a child. Please know that we will do everything in our power to honor their lives and soon come together as a community to mourn these losses.”
CBS Sports is actively updating this story with the latest on the Virginia shooting below.
