The father of a University of Virginia student accused of gunning down three players on the school’s football team is still working to process the horrific act — but he suspects bullying may have played a role in the violence.
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. evaded authorities for more than 12 hours after he opened fire on a bus of students returning to campus Sunday night. He was taken into custody in Henrico County Monday morning on three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, police said.
School officials again canceled classes on Tuesday to allow students time to grieve those killed in the gunfire. They were identified as Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis and D’Sean Perry.
The suspect’s father, Christopher Darnell Jones Sr., was left in shock by his son’s alleged actions.
“I can’t believe it was him,” Jones Sr. told NBC12 Monday night. “I still can’t believe it now.”
The last time he saw his son was about a month before the deadly shooting, when he turned up to do laundry at their home in Charlottesville.
“He had some problems the last time I talked to him. He said some people was picking on him or whatever, he didn’t know how to handle it, and I just told him don’t pay it any mind and just go to school,” Jones Sr. recalled.
“He was really paranoid when I talked to him about something, but he wouldn’t tell me everything,” he continued. “He was a very sensitive young man.”
Despite having issues with his classmates, Jones Jr. still “seemed like he was doing really well,” his dad said. Jones Sr. added the family had been looking forward to celebrating his son’s upcoming 23rd birthday on Nov. 17.
“When we finally had a chance to talk, he said there were some people there who were giving him a hard time, but he still was upbeat, and he was positive,” Jones Sr. said. “I don’t know what happened between then and now to cause this to happen.”
The shooter’s relationship with the victims remained unclear on Tuesday. Jones Jr. was previously a member of the UVA football team, though he has not played for more than a year. The team’s website lists Jones as a running back on its 2018-19 roster.
