CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WRIC) — A 12-hour manhunt for the shooter who killed three people and injured two more on the University of Virginia campus ended Monday with the suspect’s arrest in a county more than an hour away.
The Charlottesville campus was on lockdown for almost 12 hours with the suspect still on the run and considered armed and dangerous. The university’s shelter-in-place order was lifted “based upon a thorough search on and around Grounds,” around 10:30 a.m.
Just before 11 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13, officers responded to the report of a shooting by the Culbreth Road Parking Garage, near the heart of campus.
The shooting occurred on a charter bus that was full of students returning to the university campus after a class field trip. University football players Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry were killed in the shooting. Two additional victims were taken to the hospital with injuries: one is in critical condition, and one is in good condition, according to the school. The bus had around 25 people on board during the shooting.
UVA police identified the shooting suspect as 22-year-old Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a student at the university. Jones was arrested Monday, Nov. 14 in Henrico County, around 11 a.m.
Jones was described as a Black male with a burgundy jacket, blue jeans and red shoes. UVA police believed him to be driving a black SUV with the Virginia license plate number TWX-3580. Henrico County Police said its patrol bureau was on the lookout for the suspect vehicle overnight, and an officer spotted the car in the county’s eastern end Monday morning.
Jones is a former UVA football player from the Henrico and Petersburg areas. He also played football at Varina High School, in Henrico County. He played linebacker and running back at Petersburg High School before college.
UVA President Jim Ryan in a letter addressed to students and staff announced that classes and activities would be canceled Monday.
This is a developing story, stay with 8News for updates.
