What We Know About the University of Virginia Shooting Victims

The gunman and at least three of the victims in the University of Virginia shooting on Sunday night have ties to the football team.

The three kids slain were current team members Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D'Sean Perry. Christopher Jones Jr., the suspect, was a running back on the club in 2018, however he did not play in any games and was not on the roster in future seasons.

Davis Jr., a junior from South Carolina, was a starter and the team's third-leading pass catcher this season, catching two touchdowns. Perry was a Florida junior reserve linebacker who participated in six of the team's ten games. Chandler was a junior wide receiver who had moved to Virginia from the University of Wisconsin and had yet to play for the 'Hoos, as the university's sports teams are colloquially known.

Davis was also a member of the Groundskeepers, a group of University of Virginia football players that advocate for social reform.

"These were fantastic young guys with big goals and incredibly bright futures," said Tony Elliott, the university's first-year football coach, in a statement "Our hearts break for their families, students, and friends."

Virginia is 3-7 this season under Elliott, a former offensive coordinator at Clemson. Their most recent game was a defeat against the University of Pittsburgh at home on Saturday. This season's schedule includes two more games against Coastal Carolina next weekend and Virginia Tech on Nov. 26.

As word of the shooting spread, Virginia's rivals from across the country wrote to express their condolences.

"I was shocked and saddened to learn of Devin's passing," Wisconsin head coach Jim Leonhard, who coached Chandler before he transferred to Virginia, said. "He had a long-lasting impact on his teammates, even after he left UW, which speaks to the type of person he was."

"On behalf of our entire Virginia Tech football family... we are praying, sending sympathy and support to Coach Elliott, his staff, his team, their families, and the entire @UVA community," Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry wrote on Twitter.