CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. — Police on Monday caught a University of Virginia student suspected of fatally shooting three members of the school’s soccer team while returning to campus from a field trip.
Violence, which injured both students, erupted near a parking lot and placed the campus in isolation overnight as police searched for the gunman.
Authorities learned at a mid-morning news briefing that suspect Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. had been arrested at age 22.
“Give me a minute to thank God, breathe a sigh of relief,” said University Police Chief Timothy Longo Sr. He said after learning that Jones was in custody.
The attack took place just after 10:15 PM on Sunday, during a charter bus full of students returning from a game in Washington.
University President Jim Ryan said authorities did not have “a complete understanding” of the cause or circumstances of the attack.
“The entire college community is grieving this morning,” said an ostensibly nervous Ryan. My heart is broken for the victims, their families, and everyone who knew and loved them.”
Ryan identified the three murdered students as Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry. He said that one of the injured students was in a serious condition and the other was taken to the hospital in good condition.
The shooting led to an intense manhunt as the students remained on the ground for more than 12 hours, and authorities conducted a building search on the campus. The lockdown order was lifted late Monday morning.
Longo said police received warrants for Jones’ arrest, accusing him of three counts of second-degree murder and three times of using a handgun.
Longo said that Jones once played on the football team, but has not been a member of the team for at least a year.
Longo said Jones came to the attention of the university’s threat assessment team this fall after a person unconnected to the school reported a statement Jones had apparently made regarding gun possession.
No threats were reported in connection with the gun concern, but authorities tracked down Jones’ roommate and looked into it.
Longo also said that Jones was involved in “some sort of harassment investigation”. He said he did not have all the facts and circumstances of the case, although he said the investigation was closed after the witnesses did not cooperate.
In addition, Longo said authorities learned of a previous incident involving a gun violation outside of Charlottesville. He said the incident had not been reported to the university as it should have been.
Eva Surovell, editor-in-chief of the student newspaper The Cavalier Daily, said late Sunday night that students rushed to the parking lot after being warned about an active attacker, but saw it shut down by police. When he went to a nearby intersection, he was told to go to the bunker.
“A police officer told me that the attacker was nearby and that I should get home as soon as possible,” he said.
He waited with the other reporters, hoping to get more details, then returned to his room to start working on the story. The severity of the situation collapsed.
“My generation has certainly grown up with generalized gun violence, but it doesn’t get any easier when you have your own community,” he said.
Elsewhere, in Moscow, Idaho, police were investigating the deaths of four University of Idaho students who were found in a home near campus on Sunday.
Authorities said they discovered the deaths when they responded to an unconscious person’s report.
