Three people died in a late-night shooting Sunday at the University of Virginia that officials suspect was carried out by a student, the school announced Monday morning.
Authorities continued looking Monday for suspect Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., whom the university’s president, Jim Ryan, said is considered “armed and dangerous” following a rampage that also left two victims wounded.
The gunfire began at around 10:30 p.m., with the suspect said to be wearing a burgundy jacket, jeans and red shoes and driving a black SUV, Ryan said.
The university canceled classes Monday, while a shelter-in-place order remained in effect.
“This is a message any leader never hopes to send, and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia,” Ryan said. “This is a traumatic incident for everyone in our community.”
None of the victims have been publicly identified. The two people wounded in the shooting are receiving medical care, according to the university’s president, whose announcement didn’t disclose their conditions.
“I am holding the victims, their families, and all members of the University of Virginia community in my heart today, and we will make plans to come together as a community to grieve as soon as the suspect is apprehended,” Ryan said.
Founded by Thomas Jefferson more than 200 years ago, the University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville and enrolls more than 20,000 students.
