A student is being hunted after the University of Virginia shooting killed three people and wounded two.
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., suspected of carrying out the shooting in Charlottesville, has been described as “armed and dangerous,” and members of the public have been told not to approach him.
The university’s emergency management unit sounded the alert Sunday night, notifying the campus community of an “active attacker.”
Photo: Associated Press
The message warned students to take shelter after reports of a shooting, and multiple police agencies, including state troopers, began searches.
Jones was listed as a football player on the university’s athletic website in 2018, the first year he didn’t play in any games.
The victims have not been identified and it is not known if they were students or staff.
“As of this writing, I am saddened to report that three people have been killed in the shooting; two other victims were injured and are receiving medical treatment,” the university’s president, Jim Ryan, confirmed.
“This is a message any leader hopes never has to send, and I am appalled by the violence at the University of Virginia. This is a traumatic event for everyone in our community.”
Following the incident, classes were canceled on Monday and support was provided for students and staff.
Police continue to advise people to “shelter in place” while troops and helicopter teams continue to search for the suspect.
Photo: Associated Press
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Officers are “conducting a full search on and around UVA grounds at this time. Expect an increase in law enforcement. Stay put and shelter in place,” UVA Police tweeted.
The attack is the latest mass shooting on a U.S. college campus in recent years.
The bloodshed has sparked intense debate in the United States over tougher gun control laws, which are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution to bear arms.
The 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southwest of Charlottesville, left 33
Several people, including the gunman, were killed and 23 others were wounded in one of the deadliest college mass shootings in the country’s history.