On November 13, University of Virginia students and more feared for their safety when it was learned that a gunman was running rampant. Reports revealed three students were killed and two more were injured as a result.
Now, following a press conference, it was learned that all three of the victims who passed away were UVA football players, and the man who allegedly killed them was a former football player as well. According to UVA president Jim Ryan, the identities of those killed are Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry, and Devin Chandler.
Suspect Captured and Motive Revealed After Gunman Shoots and Kills 3 University of Virginia Football Players
As Katie Couric reported on Instagram, Davis Jr. was 20 years old and a wide receiver for the Cavaliers. The young star was the oldest in his family and he was set to graduate this December.
Davis’s father, Thaddeus Davis called his son a “role model” to his younger brother and younger sister. “I lost my baby. This is my firstborn child,” Thaddeus told NBC News. He continued adding that his son could “light up a room just with a smile.”
Perry was 22 years old at the time of his passing and was known to his coaches and teammates as a “do it all defender.” A linebacker and defensive end, Perry was a senior. His parents, Katie Couric reports, are “heartbroken” over the loss of their beloved son.
Chandler was just a second-year player for the Cavaliers. He played at the wide receiver position and was a talented kick returner. Chandler was also a transfer athlete, previously playing for the University of Wisconsin.
The two students injured in the shooting are still being treated at a local hospital. It has not been confirmed if those two students were football players as well. One of the injured students is labeled as stable, while the other is still considered critical.
ESPN has further identified the shooter as an ex-UVA football player, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. He has since been taken into custody.
According to ESPN, “Jones was listed as a freshman running back on the team’s 2018 roster.” He attended Petersburg High School and Varina High School prior to being recruited by UVA. No other information about Jones Jr. has been revealed at this time.
“This is an unimaginably sad day for our community,” Jim Ryan said during the press conference. “The entire university community is grieving this morning. 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’ve said before, when I see our students, I see my own kids, and I can not imagine anything worse for a parent than losing a child.”