CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Hours after three University of Virginia students were gunned down and two others injured, police said the suspected shooter is now behind bars.
Authorities in Henrico County said they found the car 22-year-old Christopher Jones was driving and arrested him on Monday. UVA officials got word about the arrest in the middle of their 11 a.m. press conference.
After that, more students started to head out of their dorms at UVA and process what happened together.
The words "CVILLE Strong" now hang on banners outside several buildings on UVA’s grounds.
“We felt like we needed to come together and try to support the community,” said third-year student Bobby Butcher.
There are several fraternity houses across the street from where the shooting happened. Butcher said he and his friends wanted to find a way to remember the three football players who died. They posted the jersey numbers of Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry, and Lavel Davis Jr.
PHOTOS: 3 killed in shooting on UVA Campus
“I think we are all coming to terms with what is going on and just trying to support each other to the best of our ability,” Butcher said.
The shooting happened at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, by a garage on the grounds.
“The shootings occurred on a bus full of students returning from a field trip,” said UVA President Jim Ryan. “Three of the students did not survive.”
Ryan said two students are in the hospital, one in critical condition.
Following the shooting, UVA officials sent out a shelter-in-place order. Butcher said he waited for hours inside the library for the all-clear.
“Some people were sleeping, some people continued to try to study,” Butcher said. “I mean, everyone was texting their loved ones."
UVA officials lifted the order about 12 hours later and they announced authorities arrested the suspect in Henrico County, outside of Richmond.
“I just need a moment to thank God and breathe a sigh of relief,” said UVA Police Chief Tim Longo.
Ryan said he believes Jones was a former football player.
“He was still a student, but to my knowledge, he was no longer on the football team and hadn’t been for over a year,” Ryan said.
Classes are canceled again on Tuesday. Ryan hopes students can reflect together.
“As I have said before, when I see our students, I see my own kids and I cannot imagine anything worse for a parent than to lose a child,” Ryan said.
Ryan said investigators are still working to learn what motivated the shooting.