Devin Keith Chandler, a 20-year-old Black man, was a student at the University of Virginia and a wide receiver for the school’s football team. Remembered for his great energy and an infectious smile, he was described by those who knew him as a joy to coach and a brother to his teammates. Chandler, who majored in American studies, had transferred to UVA after playing football for the University of Wisconsin.
On the night of Sunday, November 13, 2022, Chandler was on a chartered bus with a professor and 21 other students. The group was returning to the Charlottesville campus around 10:15 p.m. after a class field trip to see a play in Washington, D.C. As students began to exit the bus, a fellow student and former UVA football player, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., produced a handgun and opened fire.
Chandler and his teammate D’Sean Perry died at the scene from gunshot wounds. A third teammate, Lavel Davis Jr., was transported to the UVA Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries. Two other students on the bus, Mike Hollins and Marlee Morgan, were also shot but survived. The attack prompted an hours-long, campus-wide lockdown as law enforcement launched a manhunt for Jones, who had fled the area.
The search ended the following morning, November 14, when police apprehended Jones without incident in Henrico County. Investigators recovered a handgun near the scene of the shooting, and a subsequent search of Jones's residence yielded a rifle and another handgun. Jones was charged with three felony counts of second-degree murder, two felony counts of malicious wounding, and five felony counts for the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was held at the Charlottesville-Albemarle County Regional Jail without bond.
In the wake of the tragedy, the university and the wider community mourned the loss of the three young men. Over 9,000 people attended a memorial service held on November 19. The university later awarded posthumous degrees to the three slain players, including a degree in American studies for Devin Chandler. The case concluded in November 2024, when Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. pleaded guilty to the shooting.
