Article up to date as of November 16, 2022

Late on Sunday night, there was a fatal shooting at the University of Virginia (UVA) that resulted in the loss of three students and two more students injured. The lives of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis., and D’Sean Perry were tragically taken by a fellow classmate identified as the suspect in the shooting.

Chandler, Davis, and Perry were Juniors at the university and players on the Cavaliers football team. Chandler played as a transfer student from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Davis grew up in Dorchester Country in South Carolina and averaged 23.2 yards per reception during the 2022 season. Davis was majoring in African American studies and he was an active member of the group Groundskeepers, fighting racial injustice and bigotry in the city. Perry came from Miami, Florida and played in six out of 10 games this season. He was pursuing a degree in studio art.

“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 incredibly 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,” head coach Tony Elliot released in a statement on Twitter on Monday.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. is currently named as the suspect of the targeted murders by local police. Jones is a former football player who was removed from the team two years ago following sexual assault allegations. This year, he was tasked with the responsibility of identifying and responding to threatening behavior from students. Jones was on a bus coming back from a media studies trip to Washington D.C. and allegedly opened fire at other passengers, targeting the football players.

Timothy Longo, chief of police at UVA, initially stated that Jones faces charges of three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony. However, on Wednesday it was released that Jones will also face additional charges of two counts of malicious wounding, each accompanied by a firearm charge.