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A witnesser who saw a University of Virginia pupil open fire connected a autobus returning from a tract travel described to constabulary however the gunman targeted circumstantial victims — galore of them football players — shooting 1 of them arsenic helium slept, a authoritative said successful tribunal Wednesday. The details emerged during the suspect's archetypal tribunal appearance.
Albemarle County Commonwealth's Attorney James Hingeley said a witnesser who was shown a photograph of the shooting suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., identified him arsenic the gunman. The unit Sunday nighttime near 3 shot players dormant and 1 subordinate and different pupil wounded.
The suspect, a erstwhile shot player, appeared by video nexus from a section jailhouse for Wednesday's tribunal hearing. He did not participate a plea to the galore charges helium faces and said helium plans to prosecute an attorney. A justice ordered him held without enslaved and appointed a nationalist defender to correspond him until helium secures backstage counsel.
University officials and constabulary person said the 22-year-old fishy joined a radical of astir 2 twelve others connected a tract travel Sunday from the Charlottesville field to spot a play successful the nation's capital, astir 120 miles away. When their autobus arrived backmost connected campus, authorities person said the fishy opened fire, sidesplitting Lavel Davis Jr., D'Sean Perry and Devin Chandler.
From left, assemblage shot players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry are seen successful a operation photograph of undated images provided by University of Virginia Athletics.
University of Virginia Athletics via AP
One witnesser told constabulary the fishy pointed the weapon astatine Chandler, changeable him arsenic helium was sleeping, and Chandler slid to the floor, Hingeley said.
The witnesser said the fishy was "aiming astatine definite people" and not shooting randomly, according to Hingeley.
Responding officers recovered Chandler and Perry dormant connected the bus, Hingeley said. Davis died from his wounds astatine a hospital, helium said.
The nationalist defender appointed to correspond the fishy did not code the substance of the charges Wednesday. She besides declined remark extracurricular of court.
The justice acceptable a December presumption proceeding successful the case.
Authorities said the fishy was capable to fly the shooting scene, mounting disconnected a manhunt and 12-hour field lockdown earlier helium was taken into custody elsewhere successful the authorities precocious Monday morning. The fishy faces 3 counts of second-degree murder, 2 counts of malicious wounding and further gun-related charges.
The unit astatine the state's flagship nationalist assemblage has acceptable disconnected days of mourning among students and faculty, the broader Charlottesville assemblage and different supporters. Classes resumed Wednesday.
University President Jim Ryan said Monday that authorities did not person a "full understanding" of the motive down the shooting. Court documents filed truthful acold successful the substance person offered nary further insight, and Hingeley did not code a imaginable motive Wednesday.
In a video connection posted to Facebook connected Wednesday night, Ryan said "it's possible, and possibly likely, that we volition ne'er find 1 azygous happening that volition explicate this. It whitethorn besides beryllium that we ne'er genuinely recognize wherefore this happened."
Ryan said that the schoolhouse is "inviting an outer reappraisal with respect to the university's interactions with the suspect, and whether we did each we could to forestall oregon debar this tragedy."
Flowers were near extracurricular Scott Stadium astatine a makeshift memorial for 3 slain University of Virginia shot players connected November 14, 2022, successful Charlottesville, Virginia.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Also Wednesday, the schoolhouse announced that it was canceling its last location crippled of the play scheduled for Saturday against Coastal Carolina. Ryan said Wednesday nighttime that determination would alternatively beryllium a memorial work Saturday "to grant the lives" of the 3 slain shot players, on with the 2 different students who were wounded.
In announcing the cancellation, the assemblage said successful a quality release that nary determination has been made yet astir whether UVA volition enactment successful its last crippled of the play Nov. 26 against Virginia Tech successful Blacksburg.
The fishy was a subordinate of the shot squad during the 2018 season, a one-semester walk-on, according to athletics manager Carla Williams.
In interviews, his begetter has expressed disorder and astonishment and apologized to the victims' families.
Of the 2 students who were hospitalized, 1 was discharged from the aesculapian halfway Tuesday, according to Eric Swensen, a wellness strategy spokesperson.
Family members of Mike Hollins, a moving backmost connected the team, person said helium underwent a 2nd country Tuesday.
In her archetypal tv interrogation since the shooting, Hollins' parent Brenda Hollins told CBS News that her lad does not yet cognize 3 of his friends and teammates were killed.
In tribunal Wednesday, Hingeley besides reviewed the suspect's past transgression record. In February 2021, helium was charged successful Chesterfield County with possession of a concealed handgun without a licence and aboriginal fixed a 12-month suspended sentence, Hingeley said.
At the clip of that arrest, the fishy had 2 outstanding warrants successful transportation with a hit-and-run mishap with spot harm and reckless driving from Petersburg. He was convicted of some charges and besides fixed 12-month suspended sentences connected both, Hingeley said.
The assemblage has said the suspect's nonaccomplishment to study the misdemeanor concealed limb condemnation was a information successful an ongoing reappraisal of him by its threat-assessment team. The assemblage initially said its pupil affairs bureau had escalated the suspect's lawsuit successful precocious October to the University Judiciary Committee, a student-run assemblage that could person enacted disciplinary action. But precocious Tuesday night, a spokesperson confirmed the assemblage had not really escalated the study and was moving connected doing so.
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