[UVA Shooting Investigation Concludes, Report Pending Release]
An external investigation into the tragic shooting incident that claimed the lives of three University of Virginia student-athletes and left two others wounded on campus last year has been wrapped up. However, the details of the report will not be released immediately, according to officials.
The University of Virginia received the report on Friday and its leadership has already begun reviewing it, stated spokesperson Brian Coy in an email statement. Once the recommendations are discussed with UVA’s Board of Visitors as well as those individuals most affected by the shooting, the report will be released publicly. The goal is to make the report available by early November.
Coy emphasized the commitment of university leaders to thoroughly understand the tragedy and its underlying circumstances in order to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. Learning from the lessons derived from this investigation is crucial to ensuring the safety of the entire UVA community.
The unfortunate incident unfolded in November 2022 when a UVA student and former member of the school’s football team shot and killed three fellow team members while they were returning to campus by charter bus after attending a play in Washington. Two other students, one of them also a football player, were injured in the violent episode near a parking garage. The subsequent manhunt resulted in a campus-wide lockdown for 12 hours before the suspect was apprehended.
In the aftermath of the shooting, university officials promptly requested an external review to examine UVA’s safety policies and procedures, the institutional response to the violence, and their past efforts to assess the potential threat posed by the charged student. It was acknowledged that the student had previously come to the attention of the university’s threat-assessment team.
The request for the review was granted by Attorney General Jason Miyares, who appointed outside counsel to conduct an impartial investigation.
On Friday, the Office of the Attorney General, responsible for providing legal advice to higher-education institutions in the state, revealed that the review had been completed. Nonetheless, it declared that the report couldn’t be made public due to attorney-client ethical rules.
Attorney General Miyares expressed his deep sympathy, acknowledging the immense tragedy and the significance of the victims – Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry, and Lavel Davis Jr. He also extended his gratitude to the special counsels for producing a comprehensive report on last year’s tragic events through their diligent efforts.
Murder charges against the alleged shooter, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., were upgraded to aggravated murder in September. His next court hearing, pertaining to these and other charges, is scheduled for February, as indicated by online court records.
