The University of Virginia remained under lockdown early Monday, hours after three people were killed and two injured in a shooting near a parking garage on campus, authorities said.
A search was underway for the suspect, who university President Jim Ryan said was a student on the elite, 22,000-student school.
“Right now law enforcement are doing an entire search on and across the UVA grounds,” the UVA Police Department tweeted Monday. “Remain sheltered in place.”
Police said a shooting was reported at about 10:40 pm Sunday on the northern fringe of the two,000-acre campus, tweeting: “UVA Alert: ACTIVE ATTACKER firearm reported in area of Culbreth Road. RUN HIDE FIGHT.”
Ryan said counseling and psychological services could be made available to students. Classes were canceled Monday.
“This can be a message any leader hopes never to need to send, and I’m devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia,” Ryan wrote in an open letter shared on Twitter. “This can be a traumatic incident for everybody in our community.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said agents were assisting within the investigation. Gov. Glenn Youngkin said State Police were coordinating with local authorities, adding that he and his wife, Suzanne, were “praying for the UVA community.”
Who’s shooting suspect Christopher Darnell Jones?
Authorities were trying to find Christopher Darnell Jones and said he was considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who saw him was advised to call 911 – and never to approach him.
Multiple police agencies were searching on the bottom and from a helicopter. Authorities said Jones could also be driving a black SUV.
A photo of Jones tweeted by UVA police also appears on virginiasports.com, where Jones was listed on the UVA football team roster in 2018. His profile says he was then a 5-foot, 9-inch, 195-pound first-year running back from Petersburg, Va., who didn’t appear in any games. It adds that he graduated from Petersburg High School after spending three years at Varina High School, where he was named Student of the 12 months as a freshman and sophomore, in line with the profile.
Students huddle together, waiting for news
Luke Anzaldi, 21, a 4th-year student majoring in foreign affairs, biology and pre-med, was locked down at his girlfriend’s house with several other students “studying and just staying put.” They listened to the police scanner for updates from the scene, lower than a mile away.
“People have been locked down in libraries all night. Everyone (is) definitely shaken up,” Anzaldi told USA TODAY in an email. “We’re in deep prayer for the victims and for his or her families at once.”
UVA shooting victims
Ryan said the shooter was a student, however the identities of the victims weren’t immediately released.
“We’re working closely with the families of the victims and we are going to share additional details as soon as we’re able,” Ryan said.
Where is UVA positioned?
The university is in Charlottesville, about 115 miles southwest of Washington and 70 miles west of the state capital of Richmond. The college was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, whose Monticello estate sits a pair miles off campus.
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