CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Investigators are working to put the pieces together of a shooting that killed three and hurt two others at the University of Virginia.
It’s been four days since Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr. were shot and killed and two others were injured.
Thursday, The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said all three died of a gunshot wound to the head.
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan has now requested an external investigation of the university’s response both before and after the shooting.
UVA Police Chief Tim Longo said the alleged shooter, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., popped up on their radar long before Sunday night.
UVA spokesman Brian Coy said Jones first came to their attention on September 15 while looking into a hazing issue. Someone reported Jones might have had a gun.
That’s when the school’s threat assessment team got involved.
"That reporting person, again unaffiliated with the university, to the best of our knowledge never saw a gun," Longo said during Monday's news conference. "The comment about Mr. Jones owning a gun was not made in conjunction with any threats."
University officials say Jones refused to cooperate with the investigation. But Sunday night, UVA student Ryan Lynch told ABC News in an interview that Jones did have a gun on the charter bus where the shooting took place.
"I was scared that with all the shots that were fired, he had shot everyone on the bus. So I thought he was going to shoot me too," Lynch said.
Now, four days later, Ryan has asked Attorney General Jason Miyares to conduct an external review of how the university handled the shooting and the earlier allegations against Jones.
"We are also 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," he said in a video update Wednesday night.
In the university's letter to the AG, they said in part, "As that investigation proceeds, there are many valid questions about the shooting that have yet to be answered and are unlikely to be answered in the course of criminal proceedings. Accordingly, we write today to request that you exercise your authority under Virginia law to appoint outside special counsel with expertise in these matters to conduct an independent review of the University’s response to the shooting, as well as the efforts the University undertook in the period before the tragedy to assess the potential threat Mr. Jones posed to our community. Finally, we request that the special counsel review all relevant University policies and procedures and make recommendations if opportunities for improvement or needs for change are identified. We will cooperate fully with your office and the special counsel who conducts the review. We thank you again for your leadership and support in this difficult moment."
Miyares' office said they've agreed to open an external review. In a statement, spokesperson Victoria LaCivita said,“The Office of the Attorney General, at the request of the University of Virginia and its Board of Visitors, will be conducting a review of the events that led to the tragic death of three university students last Sunday evening. Attorney General Jason Miyares will enlist special counsel to assist the Office in completing this important work. A public report will be shared with students, families, the larger UVA community, and government officials at the appropriate time. The Attorney General will work with deliberate speed while ensuring that all necessary resources remain devoted to the criminal investigation being conducted by state and local authorities.”
Virginia State Police have taken over the shooting investigation. They said Chandler and Perry both died at the scene. Davis died shortly after at the UVA Medical Center.
During their investigation, VSP said they found a rifle and a handgun at Jones’ home in Charlottesville.
They said investigators are still actively piecing together Jones’ movements between the time he fled the scene and was arrested in Henrico County.
They said they’re not yet in a position to comment on Jones’ motives behind the shootings.
During Jones’ first court appearance, a prosecutor revealed a witness told police the gunman targeted specific victims, shooting one as he slept.
"It’s possible and perhaps likely that we will never find one single thing that will explain this and it may be that we never truly understand why this happened, but what we learn, we will share," said Ryan.
Jones faces three felony counts of second-degree murder, two felony counts of malicious wounding, and five felony counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Jones is being held at the Charlottesville-Albemarle County Regional Jail without bond.