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Florida native among 3 football players killed in University of Virginia shooting

Miami native graduated from Gulliver Prep in 2019
D'Sean Perry, Virginia Cavaliers linebacker, killed in shooting
Posted at 2:27 PM, Nov 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-11-14 19:12:45-05

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Three University of Virginia football players, including one from South Florida, were shot and killed in a parking garage on campus Sunday night, authorities said.

Virginia linebacker D'Sean Perry, wide receiver Lavel Davis Jr. and receiver Devin Chandler were identified as the victims in the shooting, university President Jim Ryan said Monday.

University of Virginia Shooting
This combo of undated image provided by University of Virginia Athletics shows NCAA college football players, from left, Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry. The three Virginia football players were killed in a shooting, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, in Charlottesville, Va., while returning from a class trip to see a play. (University of Virginia Athletics via AP)
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan closes eyes during news conference about shooting, Nov. 14, 2022
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan keeps his emotions in check during a news conference at the school Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Charlottesville, Va. Authorities say three people have been killed and two others were wounded in a campus shooting and a student is in custody.

Perry, 22, was a fourth-year junior from Miami.

Two others were wounded in the shooting, which happened on a bus full of students who were returning from an off-campus trip.

Police secure crime scene after University of Virginia shooting, Nov. 14, 2022
Police secure a crime scene after an overnight shooting at the University of Virginia, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Charlottesville. Va.

The suspected shooter, Chris Jones, has been taken into custody, UVA Police Chief Tim Longo told reporters during a Monday morning news conference.

Jones was listed as a freshman running back for the Cavaliers in 2018. He never played in a game.

Longo said Jones, who had been "involved in a hazing investigation of some sort" that was later closed, faces three counts of second-degree murder.

The police chief said university administrators also learned that Jones was "involved of a prior criminal incident involving a concealed weapon violation that occurred outside the city of Charlottesville in 2021," which he failed to report to UVA as required.

Perry played in Saturday's home game against Pittsburgh. The junior, who graduated from Gulliver Preparatory School in 2019, had five tackles in three games this season, including two in the 37-7 loss to the Panthers.

Davis had 16 catches for 371 yards and two touchdowns this season. Chandler had not appeared in a game this season.

Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips said everyone at the league office was "heartbroken and devastated" by the news.

"The ACC is a family and when one member of our family hurts, we all hurt," Phillips said in a statement.

Phillips went on to say that the ACC "will do whatever is asked of us in the days and weeks ahead."

Current and former Cavaliers, as well as those throughout the college football community, took to social media to share their condolences. The Virginia football team's Twitter account retweeted several such posts.