3 killed, 2 injured after shooting on University of Virginia campus

Three people are dead and two others are hurt after a shooting on the University of Virginia’s campus in Charlottesville Sunday night.

Students are still being advised to shelter in place and classes are canceled Monday, according to a letter from the University’s President Jim Ryan.

“Around 10:30 p.m. last night, there was a shooting on Grounds. One of our students, Christopher Darnell Jones, Jr., is suspected to have committed the shooting. The suspect remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous. Multiple law enforcement agencies are coordinating to find and apprehend him. He was last seen wearing a burgundy jacket, blue jeans, and red shoes, and he may be driving a black SUV with VA license plate number TWX3580. First and foremost, please continue to follow the guidance you receive through the UVA alert system, which is currently to shelter in place,” Ryan wrote in a letter to the university community around 4 a.m.

Campus police identified Jones in connection with the shooting. Police said they’re looking for a Black SUV with Virginia license plate TWX3580, according to a string of tweets from the school.

Jones is considered armed and dangerous. He appears to be a former UVA football player, based off the team’s 2018 roster.

Around 10:30 p.m. The University of Virginia Office of Emergency Management reported shots fired at Culbreth Garage near the center of the campus in a tweet. The office said multiple police agencies are searching for the suspect.

Ryan urged the community to follow UVA Emergency Management for updates.

 

In a letter, Ryan said the university would make plans to grieve after the suspect is taken into custody.

“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,” Ryan wrote in a letter.

Robyn S. Hadley, the school’s vice president, sent an email to students, asking that they take the campus alerts seriously.

“Please, please take the shelter in place commands seriously as the situation remains active. The suspect is armed and dangerous. If you are not inside and safe, immediately seek safety,” Hadley said

A post on Twitter from the Office of Emergency Management around the time of the shooting advised students to “RUN HIDE FIGHT.”

The school advised those on campus to keep friends and family informed of their situation.

The university has established an emergency hotline at 877-685-4836.