UVA survivor went back to bus to help, mom says

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- When a gunman started shooting passengers connected a charter autobus returning to the University of Virginia from a people tract travel connected Sunday night, Cavaliers moving backmost Mike Hollins astatine archetypal thought it was balloons popping.

Then Hollins saw the alleged gunman, erstwhile Virginia walk-on shot subordinate Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., and screamed astatine the operator to halt the bus. Hollins and 2 different students ran disconnected the bus, but helium soon realized nary 1 other was pursuing them.

Hollins, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, told the 2 students to support running, but helium went backmost to the autobus to assistance others, according to his mother, Brenda Hollins.

"His classmates are grateful for him due to the fact that they said helium saved their lives," Brenda Hollins told ESPN connected Thursday. "He was the archetypal disconnected the autobus and told 2 of his classmates to run, and helium went back.

"He said, 'Mom, I went back. I needed to bash something. I was going to bushed connected the windows due to the fact that nary 1 other was coming disconnected the bus.' He said, 'I was gonna bushed connected the windows. I was gonna spell connected the autobus and archer them to travel on, get off.'"

But erstwhile Mike reached the archetypal measurement of the bus, helium encountered Jones, who Mike said was pointing a handgun astatine him. Mike said helium turned to run, and Jones changeable him successful the back.

"The lone happening helium remembers is helium tried to turn, but helium saw him assistance the gun," Brenda said. "He felt his backmost get blistery and helium ran."

According to Brenda, Mike said helium started moving toward a parking store and pulled up his shirt. He saw a slug protruding from his stomach.

"He got acrophobic that if helium ran excessively acold into the parking garage, nary 1 would find him and helium would die," Brenda said.

Mike stopped, and a aesculapian pupil who was connected the autobus helped him until exigency unit arrived.

Virginia shot players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry were killed successful the shooting. Another student, Marlee Morgan, was besides changeable and is believed to beryllium successful bully condition.

Hollins mightiness person avoided being changeable if helium hadn't gone backmost toward the bus. His parent isn't amazed by his actions that night.

"Didn't astonishment me," Brenda said. "It would astonishment maine if helium didn't. That's who Mike is, truthful it didn't astonishment me."

Jones, who was walk-on subordinate connected the 2018 Virginia shot team, has been charged with 3 counts of second-degree execution and the usage of a firearm successful the committee of a felony. Prosecutors person besides charged him with 2 counts of malicious wounding and further gun-related charges related to shooting Hollins and Morgan. He is being held without bail successful a Charlottesville jail.

According to Commonwealth's Attorney James Hingeley, a rider connected the autobus told constabulary that Jones was aiming astatine radical and wasn't shooting randomly. A witnesser besides told constabulary that Jones changeable and killed Chandler portion helium was sleeping.

Brenda said she has forgiven Jones for what helium did.

"I already have," she said. "I had to successful bid to heal truthful I tin assistance my son. I mean, I don't person a choice. I person to, and past I person to determination connected to assistance my baby."

Mike had exigency country Sunday nighttime and different country Tuesday to research harm to his kidneys and abdomen. Mike's parent said helium has been taken retired of intensive care, removed from a ventilator and walked for the archetypal clip connected Wednesday.

"He's recovering," Brenda said. "Mentally and physically, he's having a hard time. He doesn't cognize wherefore everything happened, wherefore helium was changeable 1 time, wherefore helium is present and not his friends."

Brenda said doctors wanted her to hold until aft Mike's 2nd country to archer him that Chandler, Davis and Perry were killed. When Mike was intubated and couldn't talk, helium asked astir his teammates by penning their names connected a dry-erase board.

"We had to archer him that we had nary information," Brenda said. "We told him that due to the fact that of the severity of the situation, it was confidential and we couldn't get immoderate information. I don't deliberation helium believed us. He was throwing his hands up and had this look connected his face, and I cognize helium was saying, 'Why? What bash you mean?'

"We couldn't archer him due to the fact that we needed his vitals to enactment wherever they were due to the fact that helium had country coming up. They didn't privation immoderate complications."

Immediately aft Mike came retired of betterment from his 2nd surgery, his household delivered the devastating quality that his teammates were gone.

"He was waiting," Brenda said. "Right aft they removed the ventilator, I heard him say, 'Thanks, doc.' I hadn't heard him talk, truthful it was conscionable a blessing to perceive his voice. As soon arsenic we walked in, that was his question: 'Where is D'Sean?' He knew. My girl was lasting closest to him, and helium looked astatine her. She shook her head. She said, 'He's gone.'

"Mike's outcry was truthful heavy it was similar coming from his soul. It was similar a outcry I'd ne'er heard earlier successful my life. It was truthful deep. His outcry was truthful deep. There was thing I could do. I can't drawback him and propulsion him to maine and hug him due to the fact that he's hurt. I can't determination him. It was similar helium was unsocial successful that moment. We were there, but helium was alone."

Hollins and Perry, a inferior from Miami, were particularly close. Brenda said her lad said, "Mom, I don't cognize however I'm going to unrecorded without him."

"Mike, you're going to unrecorded for them," Brenda said she told him. "You're going to unrecorded for him."

Brenda had seen her lad connected the time earlier the shooting. She attended Virginia's 37-7 nonaccomplishment to Pittsburgh astatine Scott Stadium connected Nov. 12, successful which Mike had 8 carries for 23 yards. They had meal unneurotic aft the game, and past she flew backmost to Baton Rouge connected Sunday.

During dinner, Mike had talked astir however helium was excited to spell connected the tract travel to Washington, D.C. He wasn't a pupil successful the African-American playwrights course; helium had been encouraged to spell connected the tract travel by Perry.

Brenda said Mike had talked astir however he'd wished they could person driven their ain car to ticker the play astir Emmett Till, but D'Sean encouraged him to thrust the bus. They were excited to conscionable different students going connected the trip.

Brenda said Mike told her that helium didn't cognize Jones, 22, who was inactive enrolled successful classes astatine Virginia. Mike said helium interacted with Jones erstwhile connected the trip, with each of them saying to the other, "What's up?"

When Brenda's telephone rang astir 10:40 p.m. Sunday night, she recognized a fig from the Charlottesville country codification and feared the worst. A doc told her that Mike had been changeable and was going into exigency surgery. His father, Mike Hollis, lives successful Fairfax, Virginia, and her parent is from Portsmouth, Virginia. They were capable to get to UVA Medical Center aboriginal Monday morning; she arrived aboriginal that day.

"I was devastated," Brenda said. "Just walking into his room, I saw his feet archetypal and they weren't moving. And past I perceive the machines and I conscionable spot him lying there. He was connected the ventilator. The worst happening that I could person ever imagined to spot successful the world."

Doctors person told Brenda that Mike volition request months of rehabilitation during his recovery. He won't beryllium capable to assistance thing for 3 months. She said helium is determined to instrumentality to the shot field. He has astatine slightest 1 play of eligibility remaining; helium didn't play successful immoderate games during the COVID-19 interrupted play successful 2020.

"We judge God's report," Brenda said. "The doctors tin archer america anything. But Mike, helium is driven. He volition beryllium backmost connected the field. He volition beryllium carrying someone's ball. He volition beryllium back. ... Because helium knows God and helium knows he's present for a reason. He was spared for a reason."

Mike is scheduled to postgraduate with a Bachelor's grade from Virginia successful December. His parent said helium has to constitute 4 papers to fulfill the grade requirements. He is determined to locomotion crossed the graduation signifier with his classmates.

"That would beryllium a blessing," Brenda said. "It's a blessing due to the fact that he's walking with his 3 brothers connected his back, and that's precisely however he's going to consciousness due to the fact that he's missing them. And truthful he's determined and if helium volition graduate, helium volition walk."