Charlottesville, Virginia — Monday morning classes were canceled and the University of Virginia was placed on lockdown as police sought for a student wanted in connection with a fatal shooting the night before. In a message to the community, the president of the institution stated that three persons were killed and two others were injured in the Sunday evening shooting.
UVA President Jim Ryan identified the suspect as university student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. The culprit remained at large.
The warning for students and staff to remain in place was issued late Sunday night after reports of gunfire on campus. At 10:42 p.m., the university’s emergency management tweeted about a “active attacker firearm.”
“There has been a gunshot on Culbreth Road, and the suspect is armed and dangerous,” Ryan tweeted, urging the campus community to “please shelter in place.”
Later, Ryan issued the letter to the university community, stating that he was “heartbroken to report that the incident has resulted in three fatalities” and that two others were hospitalized and treated for unidentified injuries.
Additionally, the UVA Police Department placed an online alert stating that numerous law enforcement organizations were hunting for a suspect who was “armed and dangerous.”
In his Monday morning letter, Ryan stated that only selected necessary personnel should report to work.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, a UVA student who was in her dorm room on Culbreth Road and heard six gunshots reported hearing them.