University of Virginia shooting updates: UVA football players D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler killed; suspect in custody

Jacob Camenker

•
University of Virginia shooting updates: UVA football players D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler killed; suspect in custody image

Three Virginia football players — D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler — were among the three victims killed and two injured during a shooting at Culbreth Garage on the school's campus Sunday night, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Perry, 22, was a junior linebacker and defensive end for the Cavaliers. He spent four seasons as a part of the team's football program after being a three-star recruit out of Gulliver Prep in Miami.

Perry played during Virginia's 37-7 loss to Pitt on Saturday. He recorded two tackles, the second-highest in-game mark of his career. He played in nine total games for the Cavaliers with nine tackles and a pick-six.

The Times-Dispatch reports that Perry's parents, Sean and Happy, are flying in from Miami on Monday in wake of his death.

Davis was a junior receiver at Virginia. The Dorchester, South Carolina, native joined the Cavaliers in 2020 as a three-star recruit and racked up 20 catches for 515 yards and five touchdowns as a true freshman.

Davis last played for Virginia on Oct. 29 when he had one catch for 47 yards. He played 15 total games with the Cavaliers and recorded 36 catches, 886 yards and seven touchdowns.

Davis' death was announced by his cousin Sean Lampkin, a tight ends coach at Newberry College.

Chandler was a junior transfer from Wisconsin who was in his first season with Virginia. The receiver was a three-star recruit and hailed from Huntersville, North Carolina.

Chandler returned 10 kicks for 241 yards during his time with the Badgers. He had yet to play for the Cavaliers.

Per UVA president Jim Ryan, Christopher Darnell Jones "is suspected to have committed the shooting." He is now in police custody, per UVA police chief Tim Longo, after several local law enforcement agencies were "coordinating to find and apprehend him" on Monday morning.

Jones was considered armed and dangerous, which led the UVA Police Department to ask those on campus to shelter in place through Monday morning. That order was lifted around 10:30 a.m.

Jones is a former football player at the university. His biography on Virginia's athletic website — where he is listed as Chris Jones — details that he was with the team in 2018. He did not appear in any games and there are no updates beyond 2018.

Per Longo, Jones had previously been reported to the "university's threat assessment team" after making a comment about owning a gun.

UVA football coach Tony Elliott released a brief statement Monday afternoon addressing the tragedy. It read:

I cannot find the words to express the devastation and heartache that our team is feeling today after the tragic events last night that resulted in the deaths of Lavel, D’Sean and Devin, and the others who were injured. These were incredible young men with huge aspirations and extremely bright futures. Our hearts ache for their families, their classmates and their friends. These precious young men were called away too soon. We are all fortunate to have them be a part of our lives. They touched us, inspired us and worked incredibly hard as representatives of our program, university and community. Rest in peace, young men.

Athletic director Carla Williams also shared her thoughts:

As a mother of three children, I ache for the parents and family members. We lost three talented and bright young men. We will never see what their impact on the world would have been, but we will never forget their impact on us. I miss Lavel, D’Sean and Devin. I pray for peace, comfort and hope for their parents and loved ones. For their teammates, coaches and friends, I pray for strength and a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Thousands of Virginia students held a silent vigil in honor and remembrance of the victims on Monday evening, as well.

The Cavaliers are scheduled to host Coastal Carolina on Saturday. There has been no word about the status of that game.

Virginia announced its home men's basketball game against Northern Iowa on Monday night has been canceled. According to the school's website, that was the only UVA athletic event scheduled for Monday or Tuesday.

University of Virginia shooting victims

  • D'Sean Perry
  • Lavel Davis
  • Devin Chandler

Perry, Davis and Chandler have been identified as victims of the shooting. There were two other victims that suffered injuries, one of whom is running back Mike Hollins. He is said to be in critical condition, per Sports Illustrated.

Ryan said in a Monday news conference that the other injured victim is in good condition, per Mike Barber of the Times-Dispatch. They have yet to be identified.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.