CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia (UVA) will pay $9 million to the victims and families of victims of the November 2022 shooting that killed three students and injured two others.
The settlement, which did not stem from a lawsuit, was negotiated outside of court. UVA will pay $2 million to each of the families of Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry, and Devin Chandler, who were killed in the attack. The two victims who were injured, Mike Hollins, former Virginia Football player, and fourth-year Commerce student Marlee Morgan, will receive a combined $3 million, reports the Cavalier Daily.
The alleged gunman, 22-year-old student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., will be tried in January of 2025 for the attack.
The shooting occurred on a charter bus in the Culbreth parking garage on UVA’s campus around 10:30 p.m. on November 13, 2022. The students were returning from a class field trip to see a play in Washington, D.C. when Jones allegedly opened fire and then fled. Chandler, Davis, and Perry were former football teammates of Jones. According to a witness, Jones shot Chandler as he was sleeping.
Shooting Prompts Independent Review of UVA Safety and Security
The attack prompted an outside review of UVA’s safety policies and procedures, reports NBC Washington. Although the school reviewed the report back in October, UVA did not release the report to the public, fearing it would bias the jury or hinder the prosecution of the suspect. Jones’ trial was also postponed so that the review could be completed before his court proceedings.
An attorney for some of the victims’ families says the school should have removed Jones from campus before the shooting because he behaved erratically and exhibited several red flags. They are calling for the report to be released to the public. UVA officials have acknowledged that Jones was on their radar before the shooting.
