The University of Virginia canceled classes Tuesday as it “continues to deal with the emotional toll” of Sunday’s shooting that left three of the school’s football players dead and two others injured.
The shooting sparked an hours-long manhunt that stretched from Sunday night into Monday morning. It ended when the alleged gunman, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was arrested in Henrico County, about 80 miles east of Charlottesville. Jones faces three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of use of a weapon in the commission of a felony, UVA Police Chief Timothy Longo Sr. said Monday.
Police have not provided a motive for the attack.
According to the university, the three players who died were identified as Devin Chandler and Lavel Davis Jr. along with linebacker D’Sean Perry.
Two other students were also injured, but only one of them – Michael Hollins – has been identified. The two injured students are being treated at UVA Medical Center, with one in critical condition and the other in fair condition, UVA spokesman Brian Coy said, declining to identify them.
An outpouring of support — both locally and nationally — poured into Charlottesville after the news broke Monday. The school held a candlelight vigil Monday, drawing hundreds to campus, according to a photo posted on Twitter by the school’s football team.
🧡💙 pic.twitter.com/6PpW4L2KOS — Virginia Cavaliers (@VirginiaSports) November 15, 2022 Rival Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball team wore the “#HokiesforHoos” jerseys on Monday.
The University of Wisconsin, where Chandler previously played, released a statement saying their program was “deeply saddened” by the tragic deaths.
“This is a difficult time for the players and staff because of the lasting impact Devin had on his friends and teammates,” the statement said. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends and the Virginia football family.”
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the shooting shortly after swearing in a new ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago on Monday.
“It’s tragic,” Harris said. “Of course, our prayers are with the families of the victims, and it’s just a constant reminder that we need to do better when it comes to gun safety laws in our country.”
At least 68 shootings have occurred this year on US school grounds, including 15 on college campuses, with at least one person shot in each case, not including the shooter. The deadliest school shooting in modern US history remains the 2007 attack at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, where a 23-year-old student killed 32 people before killing himself.
The Charlottesville campus shooting is also one of nearly 600 mass shootings in the U.S. this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which like CNN records cases in which at least four people are shot, excluding the shooter.
The shooting at UVA happened on Sunday as a class was returning from a trip to Washington, DC. The class had seen a play, university officials said, and it was not immediately clear whether Jones was part of that class or attended the field trip.
Police responded to a report of shots fired around 10:30 p.m. in an area near a parking garage on Culbreth Street and surrounded by academic buildings, university president Jim Ryan said. Two slain victims were inside the bus, and the third victim was taken to a hospital, where he died, said Longo, the school’s police chief.
The call prompted a shelter-in-place alert that was lifted about 12 hours later, Longo said. More than 500 people were housed in campus buildings, including libraries and classrooms, he said.
Classes at UVA and Charlottesville city schools were canceled Monday as a result of the shooting.
Authorities launched a manhunt for Jones after the attack on Sunday. Then around 11 am. ET Monday, a Henrico County police officer located the vehicle Jones was driving in the eastern part of the county, where he was “arrested without incident,” according to a news release from the police department.
Jones is listed on UVA’s athletics website as a 2018 freshman undefeated football player. He attended Varina High School and Petersburg High School, where he played football as a linebacker and running back, according to his varsity athletics resume.
A UVA spokesperson told CNN that Jones had a pre-existing injury that prevented him from playing on the football team in 2018. Jones underwent medical treatment and rehabilitation during his time on the team and was only on the team for one season . says the spokesman.
The spokesman did not provide details on Jones’ injury.
Jones was previously on the radar of campus authorities. In September, authorities discovered that Jones “had made a comment about having a gun” to someone “unrelated to the university,” Longo said at Monday’s news conference. But that person never saw the gun in question, he said.
“During the threat assessment team’s investigation, we learned of a prior criminal incident involving a concealed weapons violation that occurred outside of the city of Charlotteville in February 2021,” Longo said, adding that the suspect was required to report that incident at university but never did. The case was taken over by the school’s judicial council and the results are pending.
Jones was also involved in a wild campus investigation that was called off because witnesses wouldn’t cooperate, Longo said.
All three victims and one of the two injured were confirmed to be UVA football players.
Lavel Davis Jr., a junior from South Carolina, has been one of the top receivers for the Virginia Cavaliers this season. As a 6-foot-7 receiver, Davis was the team’s primary deep threat, with 16 catches for 371 yards and two touchdowns on the year, good for 23.2 yards per catch.
D’Sean Perry, a junior linebacker, has played in 15 games over the past three seasons. On Saturday against Pittsburgh, he had two tackles in a 37-7 loss. In a statement through their attorney, Michael Haggard, Perry’s parents thanked the communities of South Florida and Charlottesville for the support they have received since the shooting.
Devin Chandler, a junior wide receiver and kick returner, had recently transferred to UVA this offseason from the University of Wisconsin.
One of the two injured students has been identified as Michael Hollins, according to Andrew Martin, head football coach at University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. According to the team’s roster, Hollins is a junior running back for UVA. CNN reached out to Hollins’ family but did not hear back.
Hollins’ father, Michael Hollins Sr., told the Washington Post that his son was shot in the back with the bullet lodged in his stomach. Hollins Sr. told the Post he is expected to recover.
Hollins was expected to graduate in December with a degree in entrepreneurship and African-American history, his father told the Post.
