University of Virginia: ‘heartache and devastation’ after football team killings

People struggling to grasp why a former University of Virginia football player allegedly shot three team members dead on a bus last Sunday have found few answers, though the suspect's father has said his son had become "paranoid" as he faced potential school discipline.

Christopher Darnell Jones Sr apologized to the families of D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr and Devin Chandler, who were killed, as well as two others who were wounded: Mike Hollins, another football player, and fellow student Marlee Morgan.

On Wednesday, a judge ordered Christopher Darnell Jones Jr, 22, held without bond. Jones Jr did not enter a plea. Appearing by video from jail, he told the judge he planned to hire an attorney, but the judge appointed a public defender for the time being. The judge also set a status hearing in the case for 8 December.

An Albemarle county commonwealth's attorney, James Hingeley, gave a brief accounting of what police say happened. One witness told police the suspect shot Chandler as he slept. The witness said Jones was "aiming at certain people" and not shooting randomly, according to Hingeley.

Officers found Chandler and Perry dead on the bus, Hingeley added. Davis died at a hospital.

Court documents have offered no additional insight, and Hingeley did not address a possible motive. The public defender appointed to represent Jones did not address the substance of the charges. She declined comment outside court.

UVA announced that it was canceling its final home game of the season, scheduled for the weekend against Coastal Carolina.