Suspect Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., student and formal football player for the University of Virginia, has been taken into custody, according to police.
The suspect in the University of Virginia shooting that left three dead and two injured has been taken into custody, according to the University of Virginia police.
During a news conference on Monday, University of Virginia police were notified that the suspect, 22-year-old Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a UVA student and former football player for the university, was taken into custody.
Jones was arrested without incident in Henrico County, Virginia, an hour drive from Charlottesville, after county police pulled him over while he was driving a vehicle, officials said.
The University of Virginia went into lockdown Sunday as university police and other law enforcement agencies searched for a student suspected of killing three people and wounding two.
The shooting allegedly carried out by Jones occurred around 10:30 p.m., according to a statement university president, Jim Ryan, released early Monday.
Prior to his arrest, police had secured arrest warrants for Jones, on account of three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in a commission of a felony.
Police did not have information about a possible motive.
The students who were killed were identified Monday as sophomore Devin Chandler, junior Lavel Davis Jr. and senior D’Sean Perry. All three were members of the football team, according to University President Jim Ryan.
Chandler and Perry's bodies were found on a charter bus. Davis later died after being transported to the UVA Medical Center.
The injured alleged victims were transported to the UVA Medical Center, Ryan confirmed at the conference. One of the alleged victims in good condition and one is in critical condition. Authorities are not releasing their names and would not confirm if they were also part of the football team in an effort to respect their privacy while they are being treated.
“The entire university community is grieving this morning. My heart is broken for the victims and their families and for all of those who knew and loved them. And they are all in my prayers,” Ryan said.
Longo mentioned during the press conference several incidents involving Jones’ alleged conduct.
In September 2022, the Office of Student Affairs at UVA reported to the Multidisciplinary Threat Assessment Team after receiving information that Jones had made a comment about possessing a gun, according to Longo. The person Jones allegedly spoke to was unaffiliated with the university and never saw the gun, officials said.
Jones’ comment about possessing the gun was not made along with any threats, authorities said. The Office of Student Affairs attempted to contact Jones about the report but it was unclear if Jones ever responded. They also contacted his roommate, but he did not report seeing a gun.
In February 2021, Jones was involved in a "criminal incident" that involved a concealed weapon in Charlottesville, which is currently pending adjudication, officials said. Jones would have been expected to make the university aware of the event, but he never did, according to authorities.
Jones was also involved in an alleged hazing incident on campus but the investigation was closed due to lack of cooperation from witnesses, officials said.
Jones's arrest came after a nearly 12-hour manhunt. During the search for the suspect, authorities including Virginia state police, ATF, FBI, U.S. Marshall service arrived on campus to aid in securing the scene. In the aftermath of the shooting, Longo said law enforcement will stay on campus for “many days” to ensure safety on campus.
Ryan informed students and staff via a letter that he canceled class on Monday and only essential employees had been advised to go to campus while the search for the suspect was conducted.
“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. This is a traumatic incident for everyone in our community, and we have canceled classes for today," Ryan wrote Monday morning.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
