NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Former University of Virginia (UVA) student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr.who shot and killed three high school football players in 2022 was sentenced Friday to five life sentences plus 23 years on firearms charges.
Jones reportedly apologized to the victims' families at the courthouse, saying, “I'm so sorry. I caused so much pain,” according to the Charlottesville-based publication. Quill right now.
Jones pleaded guilty last year to the murders of D'Shawn Perry, Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five counts of using a weapon in the commission of a felony. A fourth team member, Mike Hollins, and another student, Marley Morgan, were injured.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS RESOURCES ON FOXNEWS.COM
A photo released by the Henrico County Sheriff's Office shows Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., who was arrested Nov. 14, 2022, in the fatal shooting of three football players at the University of Virginia. (Henrico County Sheriff's Office via AP, file)
Jones previously joined SEA football team as a true freshman in 2018 but never played a game. After leaving the team, he remained to study at the university as a student.
Then came the day of the killings.
Returning to campus from a school charter bus trip hours before the shooting, Jones texted an adult mentor, declaring, “I'm either going to hell or jail tonight. The Associated Press obtained a draft summary.
Authorities said Jones opened fire aboard a charter bus as he and other students returned to campus after seeing a play and dinner in Washington, D.C.
The shooting occurred near a parking garage and led to a 12-hour lockdown on the Charlottesville campus until the suspect was caught. Many at the school of about 23,000 students huddled in closets and darkened dorm rooms, while others barricaded the doors of the university's stately academic buildings.
During the riot, Jones “methodically checked every seat until he reached the back of the bus” to shoot some of his victims, the summary said.
In the days after the shooting, university officials requested an external review to examine the school's security policies and procedures, its response to the violence and previous efforts to assess the potential threat posed by the accused student. School officials acknowledged that Jones had previously been on the radar of the university's threat assessment team.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In June 2024, a lawyer representing some of the victims and their families announced that the university had agreed to pay $9 million in compensation.
Wald said the university should have removed Jones from campus before the attack because he showed many red flags due to erratic and unstable behavior.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital sports reporting on Xand subscribe to Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
