Former UVA Student Pleads Guilty to Shooting Attack on Campus
Richmond, Virginia – Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a former University of Virginia (UVA) student, pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to a tragic shooting that left three football players dead and two other students injured on campus in November 2022. Jones, 25, admitted to three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding, and five counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Sentencing is set for February 4, 2024, at the Albemarle County Circuit Court.
Prosecutors revealed shocking details about the incident, including Jones’s alarming texts to a mentor precluding the shooting, in which he expressed remorse, stating, "tonight I’m either going to hell or jail." The shooting occurred aboard a charter bus ferrying students back to campus after a play in Washington, D.C. The attack prompted a 12-hour lockdown at UVA, affecting the Charlottesville campus and its 23,000 students.
Jones allegedly targeted specific victims, meticulously checking seats before opening fire. The deceased—football players Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry, and Devin Chandler—were not known to Jones, despite his previous involvement with the university’s football team.
In light of the shooting, university leaders initiated an external review of safety policies, acknowledging that Jones’s erratic behavior had previously been flagged by the university’s threat-assessment team. The university has since settled with victims’ families for $9 million, although some families expressed disappointment in the plea deal, preferring a trial for maximum punishment.
As the community continues to mourn and seek answers, UVA President Jim Ryan suggested that Jones’s plea marks "another step in a lengthy and painful journey for the families of the victims." The release of an independent investigation report is anticipated to follow the upcoming sentencing.
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