Three Football Players Dead in University of Virginia Shooting

Editors’ note: This story contains details of a mass casualty event and gun violence.

University of Virginia president Jim Ryan said Monday that three football players were killed in a Sunday-night shooting that left at least three dead and two injured. A suspect was apprehended Monday morning after an overnight manhunt. 

Wide receivers Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler and linebacker D’Sean Perry died in an incident that occurred as students were returning from a field trip, per Ryan. One of the wounded students is in good condition, while the other is in critical condition. Their names have not been released due to privacy reasons. 

The suspect, former Cavaliers football player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., is now in custody. The suspect was on the field trip along with the victims. He faces three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in commission of a felony, according to law enforcement. 

Before his arrest, university police chief Timothy Longo Sr. said during a Monday news conference with Ryan they were “reasonably confident” the suspect was no longer on campus. In the midst of the conference, Longo was informed Jones was arrested, concluding a search that lasted more than 12 hours.

“Just give me a moment to thank God, breathe a sigh of relief,” Longo said.

The shooting took place near a campus parking garage as students were returning on a charter bus from seeing a play in Washington D.C. According to officials, the first call came in at around 10:16 p.m. ET Sunday, with officers arriving on the scene about 15 minutes later. Following the report of shots fired on Culbreth Road, the university’s emergency management system sent out an alert of an “active attacker firearm” and urged students to shelter in place, per the Associated Press.

The search for the suspect included conducting a building-by-building and grounds sweep of the Charlottesville campus. According to the AP, students remained sheltered in place for more than 12 hours until the suspect was found. 

Davis, a junior from Dorchester, S.C., finished the 2020 season as No. 1 in the ACC for average yards per reception (25.75). In high school, he played basketball and ran track and was noted as a three-star recruit out of Woodland High School, S.C. In ’22, he appeared in eight games, totaling 371 receiving yards and two touchdowns. 

Chandler, a junior from Huntsville, N.C., announced he was transferring from Wisconsin to Virginia in December 2021. Last year, he appeared in six games for the Badgers. The former three-star football recruit was also a track and field athlete who was the ’19 Tennessee state runner-up in the 110 hurdles when he attended Arlington High School, Tenn. He later transferred to William Amos Hough in N.C., per UVA Athletics.

“I was shocked and saddened to hear of Devin’s passing,” Wisconsin interim coach Jim Leonhard said in a statement. “He had a lasting impact on his teammates, even after he left UW, which is a testament to the type of person he was. His personality was infectious and he was a joy to be around. Our team is hurting for him and his family. I want to personally extend my condolences to his family and the Virginia football family.”

Perry, a junior from Miami, had the second-longest return by a linebacker, a UVA record—an 84-yard pick-six on the final play against Abilene Christian in 2020. In ’22, he played in six games and totaled seven tackles. A three-star recruit out of Gulliver Prep, he graduated high school with 199 career tackles and also played basketball.

Virginia running back Michael Hollins, a junior from Baton Rouge, La., was shot and is hospitalized in stable condition, a source told Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger.

Andy Martin, who coached Hollins at University High, told Dellenger that Hollins was a well-rounded student who also dabbled in the arts and pottery classes. “He is an outstanding player and kid, a well-rounded kid,” Martin said.

Martin also said he and his staff have been in contact with Hollins’s mother, adding that she is currently en route to Charlottesville to be with Hollins. Martin says Hollins reportedly was shot twice and already has undergone two surgeries to remove the bullets.

Monday’s classes at Virginia and the school’s men’s basketball game against Northern Iowa have been canceled. Wisconsin’s football media availability was also canceled when the team learned about Chandler. It is unclear whether Virginia will play in its Saturday matchup against Coastal Carolina.

University of Virginia president James Ryan addressed the situation with a statement that mourned the deceased players and thanked law enforcement officers who responded to the tragedy.

“The search for the suspect may be over, but the work of understanding this terrible crime and what motivated him to commit it is just beginning,” Ryan said in the statement. “University Police will continue to work with their partners in law enforcement to investigate this shooting, and we will provide additional information about those efforts as we are able.

“Our hearts remain broken at the senseless loss of three members of our University community, Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry,” the statement continued. “We have spoken with members of their families to convey our condolences and to offer the support of this University as they cope with unspeakable tragedy. We are also monitoring the progress of two students who are in the excellent care of our medical center.”