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Who are the 3 University of Virginia football stars shot dead by fellow ex-player Christopher Darnell Jones?

The students had all been in Washington DC attending a play as part of a field trip and had just returned to Virginia when the incident occured

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA: Linebacker D’Sean Perry, 22, Lavel Davis Jr, and Devin Chandler died on Sunday night, November 13 when suspected gunman Christopher Darnell Jones, 22, allegedly opened fire around a parking garage on the university’s main campus along Culbreth Road in Charlottesville. The local police have now arrested the former Virginia walk-on football player who is being charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, UAV police chief Tim Longo said.

Two additional players are in the hospital with gunshot wounds, one in critical condition and the other in good. The students had all been in Washington DC attending a play as part of a field trip and had just returned to Virginia when the incident occured. It remains unclear what Jones' motive was or if he was part of the field trip to Washington DC, reported the Daily Mail.

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D'Sean Perry is survived by his mother, Happy Perry, and father, Sean Perry. They confirmed the death to the local paper on Monday morning, November 14. They were on their way to Virginia from their hometown Miami. 6'3" and weighing 230 pounds, athletic build Perry was a linebacker and defensive end for the Virginia Cavaliers football team. The 22-year-old football star played just hours before his death when his team took on Pittsburgh on Saturday, November 12. He also played for Team USA under-19s and in the International Bowl in Dallas, Texas. After graduating high school, he majored in studio art at the University of Virginia, a report in the Independent said.

Lavel Davis Jr, of Dorchester, South Carolina, a talented 22-year-old, wide receiver was recently named 2022 comeback player of the year watch list. Sean Lampkin, a Newberry College assistant football coach and also Davis's cousin confirmed his death via Twitter. In his tribute, he wrote, “Saddening, saddening news this morning. God took one of his most kind, humble, loving soldiers off of the battlefield last night. Please pray for my family as we are devastated by the passing of my cousin Lavel Davis Jr. Love and already miss you, kid.”

Davis played wide receiver and safety at Woodland High School before being selected to play in South Carolina's North-South all-star game.

Devin Chandler was identified as the third of the three victims killed in the shooting on Sunday night. Chandler, a junior wide receiver, transferred from Wisconsin to Virginia this season. He was born in North Carolina and raised in Tennessee, and he has appeared in each of the last three seasons.

"I was shocked and saddened of hearing about Davin's passing. He had a lasting impact on his teammates, even after he left UW which is the Testament to the type of person he was. His personality was infectious and he was a joy to be around. Our team is hurting for him and his family. I want to personally extend my condolences to his family and the Virginai football family," Jim Leonard, University of Wisconsin Defensive Coordinator wrote. "Hard to put into words. Rest peacefully Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry, & Lavel Davis Jr," Kyle J Guy said.

Christopher Darnell Jones, the suspect, now in police custody profile is on the University of Virginia's football team's website as he was on the team roster in 2018 but did not play in any games. The bio, as per the report, lists, his high school honors and accolades. He was a linebacker and running back at Petersburg High School, where he "earned honorable mention all-conference honors as a senior." He spent his first three years of high school at Varina High School, "where he earned honorable mention all-conference as a freshman and second-team accolades as a sophomore and junior." Jones was a “member of the National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, President of Key Club, President of Jobs for Virginia Grads Program, and named Student of the Year as a freshman and sophomore at Varina. He is the son of Margo Ellis and Christopher Jones, Sr and has three siblings, Eliza, Darrius, and Varian,” the bio reads.

As per the report, Jones was previously hailed as a success story after overcoming a difficult childhood to become a model student. According to a 2018 Times-Dispatch article, he grew up in Richmond housing complexes as one of four siblings. Jones' father abandoned the family when he was a child, and he allegedly got into fights at school. The "smart and quiet" student, on the other hand, appeared to turn things around, playing football and graduating from Petersburg in 2018.