3 University of Virginia football players killed in shooting; student suspect in custody, police say - USA TODAY

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia lifted a campuswide lockdown Monday hours aft 3 students were killed and 2 injured successful a shooting rampage connected a charter autobus that had returned from a tract trip, authorities said.

Killed were D’Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler, each of whom played shot astatine the school, assemblage president Jim Ryan said.

"This is simply a sad, shocking and tragic time for our UVA community," Ryan said astatine a quality briefing Monday, adding that authorities did not person a “full understanding” of the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

The suspected shooter, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., is a erstwhile UVA shot player, though helium didn't look successful immoderate games. He was arrested conscionable earlier 11 a.m. Monday successful Henrico County, astir 75 miles southeast of Charlottesville, Henrico Police said successful a statement. Ryan said Jones, 22, is simply a pupil astatine the 22,000-student school.

The shooting prompted a universitywide shelter-in-place bid that lasted astir 12 hours. University Police Chief Timothy Longo received connection that Jones was in custody during the briefing.

“Just springiness maine a infinitesimal to convey God, respire a suspiration of relief,” Longo said.

Details of the apprehension were not instantly released.

Longo said a shooting was reported astatine astir 10:30 p.m. Sunday connected the bluish borderline of campus. The schoolhouse instantly sent an alert to students: "ACTIVE ATTACKER firearm reported successful country of Culbreth Road. RUN HIDE FIGHT." 

Ryan said counseling and intelligence services would beryllium made disposable to students. Classes were canceled Monday and Tuesday, arsenic was a UVA hoops game. 

“This is simply a connection immoderate person hopes ne'er to person to send, and I americium devastated that this unit has visited the University of Virginia,” Ryan wrote successful an unfastened letter shared connected societal media. “This is simply a traumatic incidental for everyone successful our community.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said agents were assisting in the investigation. Gov. Glenn Youngkin said authorities constabulary were coordinating with section authorities, and helium and his wife, Suzanne, were "praying for the UVA community."

Students huddled together, waiting for news

Rachel Mulvaney, 18, a first-year student, had locked down successful her dorm room. She said she archetypal heard astir the shooting erstwhile her parent called to marque definite she was safe. A abbreviated clip aboriginal she saw the school's alert that a shooter was connected campus.

"I was terrified, it honestly didn’t deed maine this could beryllium existent astatine first," she told USA TODAY successful an email. "I had a hard clip wrapping my caput astir it and processing." 

Students checked connected 1 different to marque definite friends and loved ones were safe, Mulvaney said.

"There is simply a dense ambiance of mourning," Mulvaney said. "I’m praying for the victims’ families and the UVA shot team. I’m disquieted astir the intelligence wellness of students. How volition we recover? What volition moving guardant look like? Confused and scared."

Ellis Givens, a second-year student at UVA, lives crossed the thoroughfare from campus, wherever postulation remained unusually airy adjacent aft the lockdown was lifted. Givens lamented that transgression seems to beryllium expanding successful Charlottesville.

“You decidedly consciousness similar you’re successful a bubble portion you’re connected field arsenic a pupil present compared to Charlottesville arsenic a whole," Givens said. "And that bubble has been popped present that thing happened here.”

Luke, 21, a fourth-year pupil majoring successful overseas affairs, biology and pre-med, was locked down astatine his girlfriend’s location with respective different students "studying and conscionable staying put." They listened to the constabulary scanner for updates from the scene, which was less than a mile away.

"People person been locked down successful libraries each night. Everyone (is) decidedly shaken up," Luke, who preferred that his past sanction beryllium withheld for privateness reasons, told USA TODAY successful an email. "We are successful heavy supplication for the victims and for their families close now."

4 UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO STUDENTS FOUND DEAD: Homicide suspected

UVA shooting victims identified

All 3 victims were members of the University of Virginia shot team. Perry was a 6-foot-3 junior linebacker from Miami. Davis was a 6-foot-7 inferior wide receiver from Dorchester, South Carolina. Chandler was a 6-foot inferior wide receiver from Huntersville, North Carolina, who transferred this play from the University of Wisconsin.

Wayne Taulapapa, a moving backmost who played the past 3 seasons astatine Virginia earlier transferring to the University of Washington successful the spring, was a teammate of the 3 victims and was connected the 2018 squad with Jones, though neither played that year.

“Can’t enactment into words the carnal and intelligence symptom that comes with losing not conscionable teammates, but brothers,” Taulapapa tweeted. “You were ne'er conscionable shot players, but alternatively examples of large and honorable young men.”

Perry played successful the Cavaliers' nonaccomplishment to the Pittsburgh Panthers connected Saturday and made 2 tackles. He had 7 tackles connected the season. Recruiting expert Larry Blustein said helium was “devastated” by the quality of Perry's death.

“D’Sean was the eventual student/athlete who ne'er had an enemy,” Blustein wrote successful a text. “While respective schools didn’t instrumentality announcement of what helium brought to the array arsenic an athlete, the University of Virginia understood what helium was each astir – connected and disconnected the playing field. ... This is simply a large loss."

The names of the 2 radical who were wounded had not been released. 

MIAMI NATIVE AMONG UVA SHOOTING VICTIMS: Virginia shot subordinate D'Sean Perry killed on with 2 others successful field shooting

Who is shooting fishy Christopher Darnell Jones Jr.?

A photo of Jones tweeted by UVA police appears connected virginiasports.com, wherever helium was listed connected the UVA shot squad roster successful 2018. His illustration says helium was past a 5-foot-9, 195-pound first-year moving back from Petersburg, Virginia, who did not look successful immoderate games. It adds that helium graduated from Petersburg High School aft spending 3 years astatine Varina High School, wherever helium was named Student of the Year arsenic a freshman and sophomore, according to the profile.

Jones faces 3 counts of second-degree execution and 3 counts of utilizing a handgun to perpetrate a felony, Longo said. He said Jones had travel to the attraction of his section successful September aft idiosyncratic reported that Jones made a remark astir having a gun, but nary 1 reported really seeing a weapon.

Longo besides said officials learned astir a erstwhile incidental extracurricular Charlottesville involving Jones and a weapons violation, but said it wasn't reported to the assemblage arsenic it should person been.

Clara Grimmelbein, a first-year pupil majoring successful machine science, said the past day has been "extremely terrifying.'' She accused the assemblage of failing to decently respond to signs Jones mightiness beryllium a danger to others, including the reported remark astir the gun.

"When Student Affairs were notified, they simply did the bare minimum alternatively of handling it similar a existent threat,'' said Grimmelbein, 18. "It breaks my bosom to spot the lives of 3 guiltless young men being stolen due to the fact that reports were not taken seriously.''

More astir the University of Virginia

The assemblage sits connected 2,000 acres successful Charlottesville, astir 115 miles southwest of Washington and 70 miles westbound of the authorities capital, Richmond. The schoolhouse was founded successful 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, whose Monticello property sits a mates of miles disconnected campus, and is regularly ranked among the nation's apical nationalist universities. The UVA men's hoops squad won the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

Contributing: Jon Santucci, Palm Beach Post; Brad Zinn, Staunton News Leader; The Associated Press