University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh opened up his most recent press conference by expressing his and Michigan’s sympathies to the victims.
Jim Harbaugh via The Wolverine: Michigan Football and Basketball YouTube
Three University of Virginia football players were murdered after returning to the university after viewing a play in Washington D.C.
University of Virginia police suspect that former running back Chris Darnell Jones Jr. committed the murders and wounded two others. Jones was arrested yesterday morning off campus.
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. via Henrico Police Twitter
In a press conference, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan provided details on the murders and the names of the three victims.
He stated, “At approximately 10:30 PM university police responded to a call of shots fired in the Culbreth parking garage area. The suspected shooter is UVA student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. Upon arrival at the scene, university police encountered several victims of gunshot wounds. The shootings occurred on a bus full of students returning from a field trip.”
He then detailed the identities of the three murder victims, “Three of the victims did not survive. They were Devin Chandler, a second year from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Lavell Davis a third year student from Ridgeville, South Carolina, and D’Sean Perry, a fourth year student from Miami, Florida. All three were members of the football team.”
“Two other students were wounded and are being treated for injuries at the UVA Medical Center. One is in good condition. One is in critical condition. In order to protect their privacy, we are not releasing their names at this moment,” Ryan continued.
Jim Ryan via Webmaster Virginia YouTube
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Reacting to the news of these murders, Harbaugh stated, “To those who tragically lost their lives at the University of Virginia today, our football program extends its deepest sympathies to the families, to those that were killed, and those that were shot.
“Also to the Virginia football program and to Virginia university, few words can express our sympathy in a time like this, but we are here to help and support our players.”
He then specifically mentioned Olusegun Oluwatimi an offensive lineman who transferred to Michigan from Virginia, “Olu, it’s been a tough night for him. He’s been in contact with his teammates there. But we send them our thoughts and prayers.”
Jim Harbaugh opens up his press conference by expressing his sympathies for Virginia. pic.twitter.com/f04GVrYUqO
— Isaiah Hole (@isaiahhole) November 14, 2022
According to University of Virginia police chief Tim Longo, Jones was charged “with three counts of second-degree murder. And we charged him with three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony.”
Chief Longo also revealed that Jones came to the attention of the University of Virginia’s Threat Assessment Team in the fall of 2022 explaining, “In fact, in September 2022, our Office of Student Affairs reported to the multidisciplinary threat assessment team that Mr. Jones — they received information that Mr. Jones had made a comment about possessing a gun to a person that was unaffiliated with the university. In other words, a third party.”
Chief Longo further stated, “That reporting person, again unaffiliated with the university, to the best of our knowledge never saw the gun. The comment about Mr. Jones owning a gun was not made in conjunction with any threats.”
Chief Longo via Webmaster Virginia YouTube
He also noted that Jones was “involved in a hazing investigation of some sort.” Chief Longo detailed that investigation “was eventually closed due to witnesses that would not cooperate with the process.”
However, he detailed, “But through the course of the threat assessment team’s investigation, we learned of a prior criminal incident involving a concealed weapon violation that occurred outside the city of Charlottesville in February of 2021.”
“What’s interesting about that case is he’s required as a student of the University of Virginia to report that and he never did,” Chief Longo relayed. “And so the University has taken appropriate administration charges through the University’s judiciary council and that matter is still pending adjudication.”
Chris Jones via Virginia Sports
According to a press release, Henrico Police arrested Jones Jr. just before 11 a.m. in the 5700 block of Edgelawn Street.
In a later update to the press release it detailed, “An officer spotted [Jones’] vehicle in Henrico’s eastern area of the county. Jones was subsequently taken into custody, without incident.”
Henrico Police Twitter