UVA shooting suspect faced prior hazing investigation

Christopher Darnell Jones, Jr., 23, is accused of shooting five of his teammates, including three fatally, as they were returning on a bus from a class trip. He has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, according to authorities.

At a press conference on Monday morning, UVA police chief Timothy J. Longo spoke about Jones' history with his department.

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

The university maintains a Hazing Misconduct Report that details past hazing misconduct, but it is explained that "reports of hazing that did not result in a finding of responsibility are not included," so the investigation into Jones does not appear.

Longo went on to discuss another incident involving Jones.

"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 2021," Longo added, explaining that despite the incident taking place outside of the university, as a UVA student he was required to report it, but never did.

The three deceased victims of the shooting have been identified as second-year student Devin Chandler, third-year student Lavel Davis, and fourth-year student D'Sean Perry. All three of them were members of the UVA football team.

Two other students who have yet to be identified but who were also members of the UVA football team were transported to UVA Medical Center to be treated for injuries. As of Monday afternoon they remain hospitalized, one of them in critical condition.