Tag: University of Virginia Cavaliers

University of Virginia holds press conference to address killing of 3 football players

The University of Virginia football coach and AD held a press conference to address the killing of 3 Cavalier football players

The University of Virginia held a press conference Tuesday, after three of the Cavaliers football players were shot to death Sunday night.

Football coach Tony Elliott said, “My heart is hurting right now. “I’m waiting for someone to pinch me and wake me up,

“I’ve had my moments where I’ve broken down. I’ve had those moments in front of the team. I think that’s important. It’s honorable we grieve these young men.”

Elliott said the team is trying to find ways to celebrate the lives of linebacker D’Sean Perry, wide receiver Lavel “Tyler” Davis Jr., and Devin Chandler.

Elliott sat alongside athletics director Carla Williams.

Each made a statement and then took questions from the media.

The pair were unable to answer some questions because of the ongoing police investigation into the former walk-on who allegedly killed the players and wounded 2 others.

A fourth player, Mike Hollins, underwent a second surgical procedure Tuesday and is said to be doing well. The fifth victim’s identity has not been revealed.

The school is scheduled to play Coastal Carolina on Saturday. Coach Elliott and AD Williams said a decision will be made shortly on whether to go ahead with the game.

Elliott said his 9-year-old son sees the players on the team as his friends, and it’s been very difficult seeing him try to process this. 

The coach focused on supporting him and sees the parallels between him and what the parents of the team members are going through.

“Every time I see him hurt, I think about the 125 guys that I’ve got, and that’s how their moms see them,” said Elliott, who was emotional at times during the press conference.

Three University of Virginia football players killed in mass shooting

A mass shooting has left 3 UVa football players dead

The University of Virginia campus is in shock and mourning after three football players were fatally shot on Sunday night.

UVA president Jim Ryan said that football players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry were all killed.

Two other people were shot and are being treated. One is in good condition, the other is in critical condition. Their names were not released.

According to Ryan, the shooting Sunday night occurred on a bus full of students returning from a field trip.

“As of writing, I am heartbroken to report the shooting has resulted in three fatalities; two additional victims were injured and are receiving medical care,” Ryan said. “We are working with the families of the victims, and we will share additional details as soon as we are able

“This is a message any leader hopes never to have to send, and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia.”

The alleged shooter, a former UVA football player, Christopher Darnell Jones, was taken into custody on Monday. He was a freshman on the U-Va. football team in 2018 but did not appear in any games.

University of Virginia Chief of Police Timothy Longo said during a news conference. Jones has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony.

Those that were fatally shot:

  • Davis, a junior from Dorchester, South Carolina, had 16 catches for 371 yards and two touchdowns this season. As a freshman in 2020, he caught 20 passes for 515 yards and five TDs, averaging 25.8 yards per catch.
  • Perry, a junior from Miami, had five tackles in three games this season, including two in Saturday’s loss to Pitt. He had an 84-yard interception return for a touchdown during his freshman season in 2020.
  • Chandler, a junior from Huntersville, North Carolina, has not appeared in a game this season. He caught two passes for 28 yards as a freshman in 2020.

The school canceled classes on Monday and its basketball game against Northern Iowa in Charlottesville has been postponed.

The Cavaliers are scheduled to play Coastal Carolina in a football game on Saturday.