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Red Flag Warning Signs Missed Again. UVA Shooter - 2 Convictions, 2 Suspended Sentences in 2021 [1]
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Date: 2022-11-16
Peaceful evening at the UVA Lawn in 2017, a few days before the tiki torch march.
I am heartbroken about the deadly shooting at the University of Virginia, my alma mater. Always, always, always, after a shooting with multiple victims, we find out there is “more to the story” about the shooter.
Darnell Christopher Jones, Jr. was charged and convicted of reckless driving and hit-and-run in 2021 with a suspended sentence. Also in 2021 he was charged for having a concealed weapon with his sentence suspended.
He was part of a hazing investigation at UVA in September 2022, that was dropped because witnesses would not cooperate. UVA has not said whether he was the victim or not. A friend said he was bullied, and in his last conversation with his father he said some people were bothering him and he did not know what to do about it.
During the hazing investigation in September, a person reported that Jones said he owned a gun. The UVA threat assessment team investigated. Jones refused to cooperate and his case was referred (escalated) for disciplinary action on October 27, 2022. (Jones was required to self-report his convictions in 2021, but did not do so). Emphasis mine. www.cnn.com/...
“In the course of their investigation, University officials spoke with Mr. Jones’ roommate, who gave no indication of the presence of any weapons. In the course of their investigation, University officials discovered that Mr. Jones previously had been tried and convicted of a misdemeanor concealed weapons violation in 2021, for which he received a 12-month suspended sentence and a small fine.” Coy said throughout the investigation “Mr. Jones repeatedly refused to cooperate with University officials who were seeking additional information about the claims that he had a firearm and about his failure to disclose the previous misdemeanor conviction.”
On November 13, 2022, after returning from a field trip and before the students disembarked from the bus, Jones shot and killed 3 UVA football players, wounded 1 football player and another UVA student. Witnesses said that Jones shot Devin Chandler while he was sleeping. He pushed Lavel Davis and muttered something that was not clear, but sounded like, “You guys are always messing with me.” (Jones was on the football team roster in 2018).
He was denied bond at his court hearing on Wednesday, November 16, 2022. During the course of the hearing:
Wednesday’s hearing also revealed that Jones was charged and convicted of a reckless driving and hit and run in 2021 and had a concealed weapons charge the same year. He received suspended sentences for all of the offenses.
IANAL, so I do not know what other options were available to UVA in pursuing the investigation as to whether Jones owned a gun, what options would have violated his rights, or what options would have prevented the violence. I see law suits in the future for UVA. One of the football players had NFL potential (can’t remember which one).
I don’t think universities can rely on students to self-report law enforcement arrests and/or convictions. This is not the first time a UVA student became violent and had a previous arrest by law enforcement. In 2010, George Huguely V killed his girlfriend Yeardley Love. He had resisted arrest in 2008 in another city for public intoxication and had to be subdued with a stun gun. (He had a history of domestic abuse that was not investigated & excessive drinking). en.wikipedia.org/...
Of course, the larger issue is the f*cking easy access to GUNS.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/16/2136557/-Red-Flag-Warning-Signs-Missed-Again-UVA-Shooter-2-convictions-2-suspended-sentences-in-2021
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