Semiautomatic rifle, ammo found at suspected UVa shooter’s dorm, police say

Near the scene of the shooting, police discovered an additional handgun. The details uncovered Thursday fill in some of the gaps regarding how many firearms Jones owned at the time of the shooting. 

Three football players died in the shooting — Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr. Two others were wounded, Michael Hollins and Marlee Morgan. Hollins, who was treated for life-threatening injuries, was upgraded to fair condition. Morgan sustained non-life threatening injuries. 

On Monday morning, while the shooter was on the lam, Virginia State Police Special Agent B.D. Tuggle obtained a search warrant for Jones’s room in Bice Hall, an eight-story residential building near the South Lawn. 

According to the search warrant, Tuggle found a Ruger AR-556 – a type of semiautomatic rifle – and a Smith & Wesson model 39 pistol. Also inside the room were two full or nearly-full 30-round AR magazines, a box of Winchester .223 ammunition, a pair of Glock 9 mm magazines and a separate 9mm bullet. It’s unclear if the magazines were empty or full. 

Tuggle also found several items of firearm paraphernalia: a binary trigger, an optical sight, a red-dot sight, fiberglass gloves, a buffer spring component to a rifle, a holster and a back strap.

A binary trigger, which is designed to increase the firing speed of a semiautomatic rifle, is legal in Virginia. The federal government has banned similar devices, such as bump stocks. 

Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Richard E. Moore approved the search warrant at 8:20 a.m. Monday, roughly three hours before Jones was arrested in Henrico County. 

Jones, who turned 23 Thursday, legally purchased the rifle and a Glock 45 9mm pistol this year from Dance’s Sporting Goods in Colonial Heights, the store’s owner said. Police have not said if the Glock was the gun found at the scene. 

On Thursday, police confirmed various media reports that Jones had traveled with 21 other students and professor Theresa M. Davis on Sunday via chartered bus to Washington to watch a play at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. After the production, the group ate dinner at a Washington restaurant before returning to campus around 10:15 p.m.

When the bus had stopped at Culbreth Garage, and students began to stand up, Jones revealed a firearm and started shooting, police said. As he exited the bus, he fired more shots and fled on foot. 

In his black Dodge Durango, he drove roughly 80 miles east to eastern Henrico County, police said. Around 11 a.m. Monday, police saw his car and initiated a traffic stop in the 5700 block of Edgelawn Street. They said they apprehended him without incident. 

Police haven’t determined where Jones went in the more than 12 hours he was sought, but he attended nearby Varina High School. Officials aren’t saying what caused Jones to open fire. 

“At this stage of the investigation, state police is not in a position to comment on Jones’ motives behind the shootings,” said Corinne Geller, spokesperson for Virginia State Police.

Relatives of Jones told media outlets that he was bullied at school. Ryan Lynch, a UVA student who was on the bus, heard Jones comment to Davis, “You guys are always messing with me.” But that comment didn’t make sense to Lynch, because she hadn’t seen Jones interact with the victims most of the day.

Two of the victims – Chandler, 20, a sophomore from Huntersville, N.C., and Perry, 22, a senior from Miami – died at the scene. The Albemarle County commonwealth’s attorney said earlier this week that Chandler was shot in his sleep. Davis, 20, a junior from Dorchester, S.C., was transported to UVa Medical Center, where he died from his injuries. The remains of the three men were transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner for autopsy.

Jones appeared via video link at a hearing Wednesday and is being held without bond. He faces three counts of second-degree murder, two of malicious wounding and using a firearm to commit a felony. 

UVa will conduct an external review, led by Attorney General Jason Miyares, of its investigation of Jones, in which the school never referred his case to the judiciary committee. It’s unclear why. Miyares will spearhead the review at the request of UVa and its board.

While UVa attempted to speak with Jones as part of the investigation, he refused to cooperate, school spokesperson Brian Coy said. It’s unclear what efforts were made to reach him. 

“We are inviting an external review with respect to the university’s interactions with the suspect and whether we did all we could to prevent or avoid this tragedy,” UVa President Jim Ryan said. “This will likely take a while, but we will share and act upon what we ultimately learn.”

A memorial service will occur Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena in place of the football game, which UVa canceled Wednesday. The memorial service is scheduled to be carried live on the ACC Network.

The event is open to all visitors and will be live streamed. The university has offered support and counseling to students, many of whom were forced to shelter in place for 12 hours while the gunman was at large. Additional help was offered to the students on the bus where the shooting took place and those associated with the victims.

Ryan said it’s likely the community will never learn one single cause for the shooting.

“It may also be that we never truly understand why this happened,” Ryan said. “But what we learn, we will share.”

On Thursday, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, honored the lives of Davis, Chandler and Perry on the floor of the House of Representatives. Spanberger, a UVa alumna, called them selfless, curious and determined to make the university and the state a stronger place. 

“Please join me in remembering their lives, honoring their memories and standing strong as their families mourn,” she said.