CNN
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A manhunt is underway for a University of Virginia student who allegedly shot and killed three and wounded two others on the school’s main campus in Charlottesville on Sunday, police and the school’s principal said, as students and others remain in lockdown. state.
Police teams on the ground and helicopter were searching for former football player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., believed to be armed and dangerous, and the university president on Monday morning Jim Ryan and police said Monday. Police said Darnell was described as wearing a burgundy jacket, blue jeans and red shoes, possibly driving a black SUV with license plate TWX3580.
Police “currently conducting a full search of UVA grounds and surrounding areas. Expect an increased presence of law enforcement officers. Stay put and take shelter,” UVA Police tweet Just before 6AM ET.
The University of Virginia Police Department tweeted that a shelter-in-place alert was issued around 10:40 p.m. following the shooting on Culbreth Road.
University officials did not identify the victims or say whether they were students. Ryan said the two injured people were being treated, adding that he was appalled that “this violence hit the University of Virginia.”
The shooting at the Charlottesville campus was one of nearly 600 mass shootings in the U.S. this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as at least four people were shot and killed, The gunman is not included.
Monday’s classes have been cancelled.
Jones, listed on the college’s sports website as a 2018 football player, did not play any games as a freshman.
Robyn Hadley, UVA’s vice president and chief student affairs officer, told students earlier Monday that “the shelter-in-place order is to be taken seriously while the situation remains active.”
“We’ve all gotten a couple of shelter-in-place text messages, and they’ve been scary,” Hadley said. an email to UVA’s student body.
“I am like many of you; I am sheltering in place and in direct contact with university leadership and UPD…if you are not inside and not safe, seek safety immediately,” Hadley said. It added that several police jurisdictions were working to find the suspect.
Meanwhile, the University of Idaho shocked the University of Idaho after police found four dead at a home outside the campus on Sunday after receiving a call after police announced a homicide investigation. The university confirmed that the deceased were students and their cause of death was unknown.