Suspect in UV shooting that kills Lowcountry man, 2 more plead guilty

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WWBT/WCSC) – The suspect in the 2022 slayings of three University of Virginia football players, including a Dorchester County standout, pleaded guilty Wednesday.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five counts of using a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday in connection with the fatal ... — Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges in connection with a fatal shooting at UFA in 2022.

Before Wednesday’s guilty plea, Jones was scheduled to appear in court in January. This is reported by WWBT-TV.

Jones was accused of opening fire on a bus on November 13, 2022, as students were returning from a field trip to Washington, D.C. Devin Chandler, Lavelle Davis Jr. and De’Sean Perry were killed in the shooting and two others were injured.

University of Virginia Cavaliers player Lavelle Davis has earned the state's... — Lavelle Davis, a player for the University of Virginia Cavaliers, earned all-state honors while playing for Woodland High School in Dorchester County. He signed with UVA in 2019.(Live 5/File)

Davis was a star football player at Woodland High School who became one of the top players in the country at UVA.

Family members were called Davis role model. His skills on the football field led him to national success in college and it is said that he was destined to have a powerful influence on those who knew him.

“He was an old soul with a big heart. Extremely smart,” said Davis’ great-aunt, Faye Fontaine. “And he’s going to leave a gaping hole, but he left us with a mandate, and his mandate is to do better, to rise above whatever your circumstances are.”

Jones is expected to be sentenced in February.

This is an evolving story. Check for updates.