|
Listen to this article here
|
Sign-Up for a free subscription to The Black Wall Street Times‘ daily newsletter, Black Editors’ Edition (BEE) – our curated news selections & opinions by us for you.
A University of Virginia student suspected of killing three of the school’s football players in a shooting Sunday night is now in custody.
According to WTOP, Darnell Jones Jr. is being charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, identified by Chief Tim Longo. Chief Longo did not announce a motive for the shooting.
Longo stated that Jones was known to the school’s multidisciplinary threat assessment team ahead of the shooting. In September 2022, the university’s Office of Student Affairs reported to the team that a tipster said he had made a comment about having a gun.
That tip came from someone unaffiliated with the university; they didn’t claim Jones had made a threat. Longo said the university followed up with Jones and his roommate — who didn’t report seeing a weapon.
https://twitter.com/UVAPolice/status/1592028905804009472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1592028905804009472%7Ctwgr%5Eddbd2b2be455dcaaf9fa9f8addd6c07b17bd9fdc%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwtop.com%2Fvirginia%2F2022%2F11%2Freport-of-shots-fired-on-uva-campus%2F
Police released the photo of Jones, from the university’s athletics website, where he was listed as a member of the UVA football team in 2018, when he was a freshman.
In February 2021, Jones was charged after an incident involving a concealed weapon violation. That incident didn’t happen in Charlottesville, but as a U.Va. student he was still obligated to report it to the university.
When he didn’t report the violation, the university took action through its judiciary counsel. The case against him was pending.
According to ABC 29, authorities had previously stated that three people are dead and two others are injured in connection with a shooting on Culbreth Road around 10:30 p.m. Pres. Ryan says the victims are Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis, and D’Sean Perry. All three were members of the football team.
“Around 10:30 p.m. last night, there was a shooting on Grounds,” University of Virginia President Jim Ryan wrote in a letter to the student body around 4 a.m. “One of our students, Christopher Darnell Jones, Jr., is suspected to have committed the shooting. The suspect remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous. Multiple law enforcement agencies are coordinating to find and apprehend him.”
According to CBS News, Ryan says one student injured in the shooting is in critical condition, while another is in good condition.
UVA Alert: THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SEARCH ON AND AROUND UVA GROUNDS CONTINUES. REMAIN SHELTERED IN PLACE. EXPECT INCREASED LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE.
— UVA Police Department (@UVAPolice) November 14, 2022
Students and staff were warned to shelter in place late Sunday night after a report that shots had been fired on the campus. The university’s emergency management issued an alert on Twitter at 10:42 p.m. of an “active attacker firearm.” Late Monday morning, the shelter-in-place order was lifted after a “thorough search” on and around the campus, police said.
A press conference got underway shortly after 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 14. UVA President Jim Ryan and Chief Longo spoke at the event.
“My heart is broken for the victims and their families and for all those who knew and loved them, and they are all in my prayers. As I said before, when I see our students, I see my own kids, and I cannot imagine anything worse for a parent and as a child,” Ryan said.
Ryan later sent out the letter with the message to the university community, saying he was “heartbroken to report that the shooting has resulted in three fatalities,” with two others being hospitalized and treated for unspecified wounds.
There has been a shooting on Culbreth Road and the suspect is at large and considered armed and dangerous.
Please follow @UVA_EM for updated alerts, as we ask the @UVA community to please shelter in place. https://t.co/A6Vrirxq0N— Jim Ryan (@presjimryan) November 14, 2022
The UVA Police Department also posted a notice online saying multiple police agencies were searching for a suspect who was considered “armed and dangerous.” Ryan said in his Monday morning letter that only designated essential staff should come to work.
“This morning, Suzanne and I are praying for the UVA community,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said on Twitter, referring to his wife, Suzanne Youngkin.
This morning, Suzanne and I are praying for the UVA community. Virginia State Police is fully coordinating with UVA police department and local authorities. Please shelter in place while the authorities work to locate the suspect.
— Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) November 14, 2022
“Heartbroken to hear of another Virginia community devastated by gun violence,” Sen. Tim Kaine said in a tweet. “Praying for the UVA community and closely monitoring the situation.”
The university urged everyone on UVA Grounds to shelter in place throughout the night and into the morning. Police lifted that order shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday.
This is a developing story.