Police have been attempting to find a suspect early Monday after a taking pictures on the College of Virginia’s primary campus left three folks useless and at the very least two others injured.
Gunfire was initially reported at a storage on Culbreth Street at round 10:30 p.m. Sunday, the College of Virginia Workplace of Emergency Administration stated in a tweet.
“I’m heartbroken to report that the taking pictures has resulted in three fatalities,” Jim Ryan, the college’s president, stated later in an electronic mail to college students. He stated two further victims have been additionally injured within the taking pictures and have been receiving medical care. He didn’t launch names of the deceased.
“This can be a message any chief hopes by no means to must ship, and I’m devastated that this violence has visited the College of Virginia,” Ryan stated. He stated courses can be cancelled for Monday, with solely designated important staff anticipated to report back to work.
Authorities stated they have been searching for Christopher Darnell Jones in reference to the lethal taking pictures. Ryan described Jones as “one among our college students” in his message.
“Name 911 if seen, don’t method,” the College of Virginia Police Division warned in a tweet, sharing a photograph of Jones.
The identical photograph seems on a profile for Jones in a 2018 soccer roster shared on the official web site for the Virginia Cavaliers. The profile says Jones didn’t seem in any video games that 12 months.
Early on within the incident, each the police department and the college’s emergency management office shared warnings for college students to “shelter in place” or “RUN HIDE FIGHT.”
The suspect was final seen carrying a burgundy jacket, blue denims and purple footwear, the college’s emergency administration workplace stated, including that he may very well be driving a black SUV.
In a later replace shared at round 2:55 a.m. EST, the college’s emergency administration workplace stated a number of companies, together with a Virginia State Police helicopter, have been nonetheless looking for the suspect.
The workplace warned that the suspect was nonetheless thought of “armed and harmful,” because it repeated requires residents to shelter in place because the manhunt happened.
“We now have all obtained a number of shelter in place texts, and they’re horrifying,” Robyn S. Hadley, vice chairman and dean of scholars on the College of Virginia, stated in an email despatched out to college students. “I’m on Grounds like a lot of you; I’m sheltering in place and in direct contact with College management and UPD.”
“Please, please take the shelter in place instructions critically because the state of affairs stays energetic,” Hadley wrote.
This can be a growing story. Please examine again for updates.
Joe Studley and Dennis Romero contributed.
