A former University of Virginia (UVA) student pleaded guilty Wednesday to the 2022 UVA campus shooting that left three dead and two other students injured.
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., 25, entered his guilty plea on Wednesday to three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
The four-day sentencing hearing, which is expected to determine Jones' fate, is slated for February 4 in Albemarle County Circuit Court.
What Happened at UVA?
Jones is accused of opening fire on a charter bus returning to campus from a student trip to Washington, D.C.
The shooting claimed the lives of UVA football players Lavel Davis Jr., D'Sean Perry and Devin Chandler. Two other individuals, teammate Mike Hollins and fellow student Marlee Morgan, sustained serious injuries.
The incident, which occurred near a campus parking garage, also triggered a 12-hour lockdown with students and faculty sheltered in place until Jones was apprehended.
While authorities had not released a motive, a witness said that Jones, a former football player himself, appeared to have targeted specific individuals on the bus.
Calls for Accountability
In the wake of the tragedy, the University of Virginia has faced sharp scrutiny. Leaders promptly commissioned an external investigation to evaluate the school's threat assessment policies and safety procedures.
It comes as school officials revealed that Jones had been flagged by the university's threat-assessment team for erratic behavior before the attack.
In June, UVA reached a $9 million settlement with the victims and their families. According to attorney Kimberly Wald, the university agreed to pay $2 million each to the families of the three deceased students—the maximum allowable under Virginia law—and $3 million in total to the two survivors.
However, following the settlement, some family members have criticized the university's delay in releasing an independent report on the shooting, which was completed last year.
They argue the institution failed to act on clear warning signs exhibited by Jones, which they say could have prevented the tragedy.
UVA defended its decision to postpone the report, citing concerns about influencing legal proceedings of the trial that had been scheduled for January.
School Shootings by the Numbers
The calls for accountability come as shooting incidents across the country have reignited concerns over safety in schools and the surrounding communities.
According to Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, an independent, non-partisan organization dedicated to reducing gun violence in the U.S., there are a total of 848 incidents of gunfire on school grounds from 2013 through 2021.
Of these incidents, 573 occurred on the grounds of a preschool, elementary, middle or high school, resulting in 188 deaths and 392 people wounded and nearly half (at least 46 percent) of the victims in these incidents were students.
According to The Violence Project database in 2023, which defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are murdered in public in a single incident, there have been nine mass shootings in or around college or university settings since 1966.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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