UVA shooting investigation continues
New details have emerged since a shooter killed three students and injured two others at the University of Virginia last week.
On November 13, suspect Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. and 21 other students, along with a professor, traveled to Washington, D.C., to see a play. As the group’s bus arrived back at UVA at around 10:15pm, Jones allegedly shot at students, fired additional rounds while exiting the bus, and fled in his vehicle. Officers found a handgun near the scene, according to the Virginia State Police, which is leading the multijurisdictional investigation.
After a more than 12-hour manhunt and campus lockdown, police arrested Jones, 23, in Henrico County on November 14. Jones is accused of killing Devin Chandler, 20, Lavel Davis Jr., 20, and D’Sean Perry, 22, and injuring Michael Hollins, 19—all UVA football players. Student Marlee Morgan, 19, was also injured during the shooting. GoFundMe has verified fundraisers for Davis, Chandler, Perry, and Morgan.
On November 21, Hollins—who told his family he was shot after running off the bus and then returning to help his classmates—was released from the hospital after undergoing surgeries. Morgan was discharged on November 15.
Jones, a walk-on member of the football team during the 2018 season, has been charged with three felony counts of second-degree murder, among other crimes. On November 16, Jones appeared via videostream in Albemarle General District Court, and was ordered to be held without bond at Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. He agreed to be represented by a public defender, but said he planned to hire a lawyer. The judge set a status hearing for December 8.
According to Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Hingeley, a witness told police that Jones shot Chandler while he was sleeping, and aimed at certain people on the bus, reports NBC29. However, the motive for the shooting remains unclear.
The VSP seized a semiautomatic rifle, pistol, ammunition, and magazines, among other items, from Jones’ dorm room, reports The Daily Progress. UVA bans weapons and ammunition on school property.
A November 16 press release from Dance’s Sporting Goods in Colonial Heights, Virginia, said that Jones legally purchased a rifle and pistol from the shop this year. Jones had unsuccessfully tried to buy guns there before—he failed a background check in 2018 for being underage, and another one in 2021 due to a pending felony charge. The attempts were reported to the VSP.
During UVA’s investigation into a hazing incident involving Jones in September, a third party said they heard Jones say he had a gun. Officials spoke with the person who reported Jones and Jones’ roommate, who said he never saw him with a weapon, but it remains unclear if they interviewed Jones. The investigation was closed after witnesses would not cooperate.
However, officials investigating the incident discovered that Jones had been convicted of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit in 2021. Because Jones did not report his crime to the university, violating school policy, the student affairs office warned Jones in October that his case would be submitted to the University Judiciary Committee—but the case was not submitted until after the shooting, according to UVA spokesman Brian Coy. Last year, Jones was also charged with a felony for not remaining at the scene of a car accident, but the charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor.
Attorney General Jason Miyares’ office announced on November 17 that it would appoint a special counsel to independently review UVA’s threat assessment of Jones, and its response to the shooting, which the university requested.
In an interview with The Washington Post, second-year student Ryan Lynch, who attended the field trip, said that Jones was not in the group’s class about African American playwrights, but had been invited by their professor because he was taking another class with her. Jones sat apart from the class during the play, and did not talk much with other students on the bus, claimed Lynch. Other students told Lynch they heard Jones yell, “something to the effect of, ‘You guys are always messing with me,’” before opening fire.
Lynch said she and a friend performed CPR on Davis, who she had grown close to, before fleeing from the bus.
“The one thing that gives me comfort is I know each one of them had somebody in our class trying to help them,” said Lynch. “I want their families to know that. In their last moments, they weren’t alone.”
Jones’ father, Christopher Darnell Jones Sr., said in interviews that his son told him that “some people were picking on him” when they saw each other last month. However, he was completely shocked and pained by the shooting.
“He was really paranoid when I talked to him about something, but he wouldn’t tell me everything,” said Jones Sr. “I don’t know what to say except I’m sorry on his behalf, and I apologize. He’s not a bad kid. … I just don’t know what happened.”
In brief
Another delay
The Virginia Board of Education delayed its review of the state’s new proposed history and social science learning standards again on November 17, following backlash from advocacy groups, politicians, educators, parents, and others. Critics denounced the proposal for omitting Martin Luther King Jr. from elementary standards, and referring to Indigenous people as “immigrants,” among other issues, and accused Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration of whitewashing history. The board directed Jillian Balow, superintendent of public instruction, to correct the errors and omissions, as well as incorporate public feedback and content from an August draft—which was based on more than two years of input from hundreds of educators, historians, and other experts—into a revised proposal. In-person and virtual input sessions on the standards will be held November 28 through December 16.
Longtime city manager dies
Former Charlottesville city manager Cole Hendrix, who led the city from 1971 to 1997, passed away on November 15, according to a city press release. During his tenure, Hendrix spurred the creation of the Downtown Mall, Omni Charlottesville Hotel, and Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority. He was 88 years old.
New committee
The City of Charlottesville is forming a committee to discuss the challenges and issues facing the Downtown Mall, and propose potential solutions for the next 50 years, as the pedestrian mall nears its 50th birthday. “It is necessary to revisit maintenance, improvements, and enhancements. … We need to ensure everyone is welcome and has a quality experience,” reads a city press release. Committee applications are available on the city website, and must be submitted by December 20.
