Slain UVA Football Players: Model Hoo, Kind Smile, Great Teammate

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — Three University of Virginia football players were shot and killed by a former player Sunday night after returning from a charter bus trip to Washington, D.C.

Police said the suspect in the shooting, identified as Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was taken into custody late Monday morning near Richmond and charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony.

The slain players are junior receiver Lavel Davis Jr., 20, of Dorchester, South Carolina; junior receiver Devin Chandler of Huntersville, North Carolina; and junior defensive end/linebacker D'Sean Perry, 22, of Miami.

The suspect, Jones, was listed as a freshman running back on the team's 2018 roster, and his roster bio noted that he previously played at Petersburg High School and Varina High School in Virginia.

RELATED: 3 UVA Football Players Killed In Shooting, Suspect Apprehended: Police

Two other students who were shot and injured Sunday night remain hospitalized. One was in good condition and one was in critical condition, according to school officials.

Lavel Davis Jr.

Davis 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. He did not play during the 2021 season because of a knee injury that required surgery.

The 6-foot-7 wide receiver had not played in the Cavaliers’ last two games while in concussion protocol. He last was on the field Oct. 29 during a loss to Miami, 14-12, in overtime at Scott Stadium, where he finished with one reception for 47 yards.

Lavel's father, Thaddeus Davis, told The Washington Post that his son was someone with a kind smile who would spread love.

Kim Richardson, Davis’s aunt, told the Post that the young man who his family called Tyler "just wanted everyone happy."

Davis played wide receiver and safety at Woodland High School in South Carolina. He earned all-state honors after making 40 catches for 622 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior. He was selected to play in South Carolina’s North-South all-star game.

Devin Chandler

Chandler transferred to UVA from the University of Wisconsin after the 2021 season. He played in six games for Wisconsin last year and four games in 2020. He had not appeared in a game in the 2022 season for UVA.

"I was shocked and saddened to hear of Devin's passing," University of Wisconsin interim head coach wrote on Twitter. "He had a lasting impact on his teammates even after he left UW, which is a testament to the type of person he was."

The University of Wisconsin football team, in a statement posted on Twitter, said Chandler "was a tremendous young man and a great teammate."

"This is a difficult time for our players and staff because of the lasting impact Devin had on his friends and teammates," the team said.

Chandler started his prep career at Arlington High School in Tennessee, where he played wide receiver and defensive back before transferring to William Amos Hough High School in North Carolina for his senior season, according to the UVA website.

D'Sean Perry

Perry had five tackles in three games this season, including two in Saturday's loss to the University of Pittsburgh. He had an 84-yard interception return for a touchdown during his freshman season in 2020.

In high school, Perry played linebacker, defensive line and tight end at Gulliver Prep in Florida. He was named the South Florida Conference’s 2018 Defensive Player of the Year and finished his senior season in 2018 with 89 tackles, 16.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and three interceptions.

“D’Sean’s parents, Happy and Sean Perry, and their entire family ... thank the South Florida and Charlottesville communities for the outpouring of support during this impossibly tragic time,” Michael Haggard, managing partner of the Haggard Law Firm, said in a statement on behalf of the Perry family.

On Sept. 29, UVA’s official twitter congratulated Perry for being named that week’s Model Hoo. The honor goes to athletes who excel in all departments outside of football.