Three members of the University of Virginia football program have tragically and senselessly lost their lives following an on-campus shooting on Sunday night.
In a news conference on Monday AM, linebacker D’Sean Perry and wide receivers Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler were confirmed as the three fatalities from a shooting that also left two others with varying injuries. While one of those players remains unknown, one has been identified as running back Mike Hollins. He’s believed to have undergone multiple surgeries with his mother, Brenda Hollins, asking for prayers for her son via social media.
“Keep praying!!! And please keep praying for all of the families that are going through this horrific tragedy.”
According to the Washington Post, the only suspect in the tragic shooting — former football player and UVA student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr — was in custody following a “shelter in place” alert that lasted over 12 hours. Jones is expected to be charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in commission of a felony.
In an understandably emotional email to students on Monday morning, Virginia president Jim Ryan broke the heartbreaking and difficult-to-comprehend news.
“I am heartbroken to report that the shooting has resulted in three fatalities,” read the email. “This is a message any leader hopes never to have to send, and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia.”
In a later news conference, a noticeably distressed Ryan explained that the shooting occurred on a school bus that had just returned to the university campus. It is understood that the young men, students, and athletes that lost their lives and sustained injuries in this tragic incident were returning from a play in Washington, DC.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the Charlottesville area and the college football community as a whole. The university canceled all classes on Monday. From players to coaches, fans to journalists, thoughts, and prayers for the friends and families of the victims flooded social media following the news on Monday. Go Fund Me accounts have been setup to support the families of Davis Jr. and Chandler.
In a further update issued on Wednesday AM, the Virginia athletics department announced that Saturday’s clash with Coastal Carolina would be cancelled in the wake of the shooting that resulted in the loss of Davis Jr, Chandler, and Perry. The game would have been the last home game of the 2022 college football season.
A decision is yet to be made on whether the Cavaliers will play their last game of the season, a rivalry game in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech, which is scheduled for Saturday Nov. 26. The tragic events will evoke painful memories for the Hokies community, coming 15 years after the senseless loss of 32 lives following a multi-campus shooting.
Linebacker D’Sean Perry, a multi-sport star at Gulliver Prep and the 2018 South Florida Defensive Player of the Year, had steadily established himself on the UVA roster after redshirting in 2019. Securing an interception as a true freshman in 2020, he was in the midst of the most productive season of his career, registering a tackle for loss against Old Dominion and seeing playing time in seven games, equalling a career-high.
Lavel Davis Jr. was one of the most athletically gifted athletes in college football. The former safety and wide receiver out of Woodland High School wowed as a freshman in 2020, leading the ACC with over 25 yards per reception and tallying 515 yards with five touchdowns. Having battled adversity and injury in 2021, Davis was named to the Comeback Player of the Year Watchlist and, at the time of his tragic death, was averaging 23.2 yards per catch with two touchdowns on the year.
The third victim, Devin Chandler, was in his first year at the University of Virginia following his transfer from Wisconsin. Chandler, who played high school football for Arlington High School and Hough High, featured predominantly as a kick returner for the Badgers before his transfer to UVA. Wisconsin canceled their media availability on Monday upon learning of the death of the former player.
The three victims were football players. They were entertainers. They filled our Saturdays with joy, magic, and highlight plays. But they were so much more than that. They were brothers, sons, and grandsons. They were just young men, taken far too soon in a senseless, heartbreaking, and needless tragedy.
Article originally written Nov. 14, updated Nov. 16