Christopher Darnell Jones, UVA Shooting Suspect: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Christopher Darnell Jones is a University of Virginia student and former football player accused of killing three people and wounding two others in a shooting on the school’s Charlottesville campus on November 13, 2022. He was taken into custody Monday morning, November 14, police said.

The news that 22-year-old Christopher Jones had been arrested broke as the university’s police chief was giving a press conference at 11 a.m. The suspect, who also goes by the name Chris Jones, was a football player at UVA in 2018, according to the school’s website. He did not appear in any games for the Cavaliers that year. Jones is from Petersburg, Virginia.

Police obtained warrants charging him with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in a felony, the university’s police chief said during the press conference. University of Virginia Police Chief Tim Longo said Jones was not arrested on campus, but did not immediately have any additional information on where he was detained.

Longo was interrupted as he was speaking by a Virginia State Police captain who told him the news of the arrest, which he then revealed to those watching. Longo, pausing and appearing emotional said, “I just need a moment to thank God and breath a sigh of relief.”

The victims killed in the shooting have been identified as three current football players, the university announced at the press conference. They have been named as Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry. The other two victims are also students. One is in critical condition and the other is in good condition, the university said.

Perry, a linebacker and defensive end, was a junior from Miami. Davis, a junior running back, was from South Carolina. Chandler, a junior wide receiver from North Carolina, previously played at the University of Wisconsin and transferred to UVA in 2021. University of Virginia President Jim Ryan said at the press conference the shootings happened on a “bus full of students returning from a field trip.”

The dean of students warned students in an email before he was caught that Jones was to be considered armed and dangerous.

Ryan said in a letter to students and the campus community, “Around 10:30 p.m. last night there was a shooting on Grounds. One of our students, Christopher Darnell Jones, Jr., is suspected to have committed the shooting.”

Ryan added, “As of this writing, I a heartbroken to report that the shooting has resulted in three fatalities; two additional victims were injured and are receiving medical care. We are working closely with the families of the victims and we will share additional details as soon as we are able. Our University Police Department has joined forces with other law enforcement agencies to apprehend the suspect, and we will keep our community apprised of developments as the situation evolves.”

University officials said the students involved in the shooting had been on a trip to see a play in Washington D.C. as part of a class. Officials did not provide details about what class the students were part of or what play they had gone to see. An official said the students are “quite traumatized by the tragic events.” About 25 students were on the bus, Longo said.

Longo said two of victims were found dead inside the charter bus, “where they had been for the day, enjoying a school activity, having a meal together and coming back to our grounds. And someone amongst them chose to do an act of violence. And we found them dead inside that bus.” A third victim was taken to a local hospital and died there, Longo said.

Here’s what you need to know about Christopher Darnell Jones:

1. Christopher Darnell Jones Was on the Radar of the University of Virginia’s Threat Assessment Team Over Reports He Owned a Gun & as Part of a Hazing Investigation & He Was Arrested on a Gun Charge in 2021

University of Virginia Chief of Police Tim Longo said Christopher Darnell Jones “came to the attention of the University of Virginia’s threat assessment team in the fall of 2022.” Longo said, “in fact, in September of 2022, our Office of Student Affairs reported to the multi-disciplinary threat assessment team they received information that Mr. Jones had made a comment about possessing a gun to a person who was unaffiliated with the university.”

Longo said, “That reporting person … 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. The Office of Student Affairs followed up with the reporting person and made efforts to contact Mr. Jones. In fact, they followed up with Mr. Jones’ roommate, who did not report seeing the presence of a weapon.”

According to Longo, Jones had also come to the attention of the threat assessment team, “because he was involved in a hazing investigation of some sort. I don’t know the facts and circumstances of that investigation. I know that it was eventually closed due to witnesses that would not cooperate with the process.”

Longo said, “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.”

Longo said that as a UVA student, Jones was required to report that incident and “he never did,” so the “university has taken appropriate administrative charges through the university’s judicial council and that matter is still pending adjudication.”

Longo said about the university’s history with Jones, “I thought it important to share that information with you. To let you know that he had been called to our attention. … I want you to hear that from me, not to hear that from someone else.”

He said the university’s police department had not had any direct contact with Jones. He said the department is “one of many” parts of the threat assessment team and “we provide some of the background with respect to individuals that come before that team. But, to my knowledge, we did not have any contact with Mr. Jones with regard to that incident.”

Court records obtained by Heavy show Jones was arrested in Virginia in February 2021 on a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon. The case was in Chesterfield General District Court. Jones was found guilty and received a suspended 12-month sentence and had to pay a fine, records show.

2. Jones Was an All-Conference Football Player in High School & a Member of the National Honor Society

Jones’ football bio says that he did not appear in any games for the University of Virginia, although he was on the 2018 roster.

However, the bio says he was a high-achieving high school student, both on the field and off. He was 5 foot 9 inches tall and 195 pounds as a freshman.

The bio reads:

Played linebacker and running back at Petersburg High School for head coach Michael Scott … earned honorable mention all-conference honors as a senior … spent first three years of high school at Varina High School where he earned honorable mention all-conference as a freshman and second-team accolades as a sophomore and junior … member of the National Honor Society … National Technical Honor Society … president of Key Club … president of Jobs for Virginia Grads Program … named Student of the Year as a freshman and sophomore at Varina

Details of exactly how long Jones was a member of the football team and when any why he left were not immediately clear. University officials said he had not been a member of the team for more than a year.

3. A Newspaper Profile Described Jones’ Fractured Family & Troubled Upbringing

Jones was featured in a Richmond Times-Dispatch profile story in 2018. It started by saying that friends wanted to know why Jones was “so upset” as they rehearsed graduation. The article appeared on the front page of the local paper.

“Chris Jones was the only one among them who would attend the University of Virginia in the fall,” the newspaper reported. According to that story, Jones’ graduation came after a troubled upbringing, including “a fractured family, school fighting and suspensions, and one that began in Richmond, in two-bedroom apartments in the Essex Village and Mosby Court housing complexes.”

He learned that “the safest place to play was inside” while growing up, the article says. Jones was open about describing how sometimes he was “not in a good head space.” He went to an alternative school, but an aunt encouraged him to study, the article reported.

In 2018, the Petersburg Kappa League wrote on Instagram, “Congratulations to Kappa Leaguer Chris Jones for winning the Dr. Porcher L. Taylor, Jr. Scholastic Award. #nklc18 #PACKappaLeague #IAmAchievement #IAmKappaLeague #whykappasmentor #Achievement #GuideRight.”

4. Police Have Not Released a Motive for the Shooting

The motive for the shooting is not yet clear. Further details about the shooting have not been released. Police have not not said what type of weapon was used in the shooting or if the victim were targeted by the suspect or were shot randomly.

Ryan added in his letter, “Multiple law enforcement agencies are coordinating to find and apprehend him. He was last seen wearing a burgundy jacket, blue jeans and red shoes, and he may be driving a black SUV with VA license plate number TWX380. First and foremost, please continue to follow guidance you receive through the UVA alert system.”

Ryan said at the press conference, “Although we do not yet have a full understanding of the motive and circumstances surrounding these events, police are investigating as we speak. We will continue to keep the community notified of developments. I’m grateful to law enforcement for their response and to our community for facilitating their work with what I realize has been a long shelter-in-place order.”

5. University of Virginia President Jim Ryan Said ‘This Is a Traumatic Incident’

The University of Virginia Office of Emergency Management tweeted at about 10:30 a.m., “UPDATE: The UVA shelter in place order has been lifted based upon a thorough search on and around Grounds. A large police presence will remain.”

The emergency office previously said a search was being conducted by multiple police agencies, including the Virginia State Police, which was using a helicopter. The alert again warned students the suspect should be considered “armed and dangerous.”

Ryan said at the press conference, “Law enforcement, including University Police, local law enforcement agencies and Virginia State Police continue their search for the suspect and will not stop until he is found. They have, however, lifted the shelter-in-place order following an exhaustive building by building search of grounds and are confident the suspect has left the area. Classes and all extracurricular activities have been cancelled for today, including the men’s basketball game scheduled for this evening.”

The emergency management department tweeted out a suspect description: “UVA Alert: SUSPECT IS DESCRIBED AS A BLACK MALE, WEARING A BURGANDY JACKET OR HOODIE, BLUE JEANS, AND RED SHOES.”

UVA President Jim Ryan said in a letter to students, “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 cancelled classes for today. … I am holding the victims, their families and all members of the University of Virginia community in my heart today, and we will make plans to come together as a community to grieve as soon as the suspect is apprehended.”

A parent wrote on Twitter, “My daughter is currently safe at The University of Virginia—sheltering in place in her apartment. We have heard there are multiple student deaths. Please pray they find the shooter. 🙏🏻”

Authorities are posting alerts and updates on the emergency management page for the university, which you can find here.

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