Suspect arrested after opening fire at University of Virginia, killing three

A suspect has been arrested and is in custody a matter of hours after he opened fire at the University of Virginia and left 3 players on the football team dead.

The shooter reportedly opened fire on a school bus that had just returned from a trip.

University police held a press conference and confirmed that the suspect, student Christopher Darnell Jones, 22, was arrested at 10:30 p.m. local time on Sunday.  Police confirmed that Jones was arrested “without incident.”

School officials raised alerts on social media shortly after the shooting, ordering students and staff to shelter in place with one tweet saying to “RUN HIDE FIGHT.”

The school remained on alert throughout the night and morning as officers carried out a manhunt for the shooter.

During the search, university police shared a photo of Jones and warned students not to approach him as he is considered to be “armed and dangerous.”

University President Jim Ryan identified the victims as Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis and D’Sean Perry.

“This is a message any leader hopes never to have to send, and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia,” Ryan said in an email to students.

Two other students were wounded and taken to a local hospital.

Jones was listed as a player on the school’s football team in 2018. The University of Virginia’s threat assessment team in came aware of Jones in the fall of 2022, according to Longo. 

In September 2022, the Office of Student Affairs told the football coaching staff received information Jones had made a comment about possessing a gun to a person who didn’t attend the university, though no threat was made.