Three Cavalier players were killed by a suspected former player, while two other students were wounded on Sunday night. The prime suspect, Christopher Jones Jr., is currently in custody with the Charlottesville Police.
None of us will ever forget the mass shooting that took place just down the road on the campus of Virginia Tech back in 2007, which left 33 dead and 23 other injured.
Jones was a freshman running back for Virginia back in 2018, while the victims were junior receivers Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler, and junior front-seven player D’Sean Perry.
Details surrounding the specifics will be coming to light in the coming days, as Jones was arrested without incident. Jones was previously charged with a misdemeanor in Charlottesville in February of last year for concealed weapons. Virginia does have a conceal carry law in place, with a valid permit. Jones was also investigated for hazing students, but Virginia University authorities closed the case, due to witnesses being unwilling to cooperate.
Chandler was to miss the entire 2022 season as part of the NCAA’s transfer protocol, coming over from Wisconsin. Davis did not play in 2021, due to a knee injury, but had a pair of touchdown catches in 2022. Perry had five tackles in three games.
The university rightfully canceled classes on Monday, along with the scheduled game between the Cavaliers and Northern Iowa in men’s basketball.
The Cavaliers are 3-7, having not won since beating Georgia Tech 16-9 back on October 20. The Cavaliers narrowly missed upsetting #17 North Carolina a few weeks ago.
Then there was the 37-7 drubbing by Pitt this past Saturday, where the Cavaliers threw pick-sixes on their first two offensive plays.
On Wednesday, Virginia and Coastal Carolina agreed to cancel Saturday's game in Charlottesville, which would have been the Cavaliers' home finale. Coastal Carolina is 9-1, and already bowl-eligible.
Virginia finishes in Blacksburg against rival Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Cup next weekend. Both the Hokies and Cavaliers sit 1-2 in the basement of the ACC’s Coastal Division, with the Hokies being 2-8 overall, and both being 1-6 in the conference.
This country continues to have a serious issue with gun violence, which shows no sign of improving as citizens become more divided. No one will ever come for your guns, but only the military or police should own an assault rifle. At 44, I personally fear all firearms, having never touched one that wasn’t decommissioned to date. I’ve held airsoft or pellet guns, but only to view…still never to have even fired. Hell, I refuse to play Call of Duty, as there is no reason for any game to have that level of realism when it comes to firearms and war.
There have been a recorded 585 mass shootings in the United States in 2022, with 25 already halfway through this month. The question again, why do people deny there is a gun control problem in this country?
I remember going to campus at Cleveland State University the day after 9/11, and the place was a ghost town. The student newspaper I had just started working at put out a special edition in the days that followed, but I was too new to contribute at that point. When tragedy strikes where college students can be directly affected, campuses turn more so into gathering spots than learning centers. Cleveland State is largely a commuter campus with its location in downtown Cleveland.
I typically do not offer thoughts, and certainly do not offer prayers being non-religious when things like this occur. Words and emotions do not bring loved ones back. It is starting to become very apparent that no amount of evidence will get the majority in charge to put the minority who refuse gun reform in their place.
-JC24