A Tragic Outcome
Father of UVA shooting suspect apologizes, says he 'still can't believe' what happened
The father of the University of Virginia shooting suspect spoke out Monday, and apologized on his son's behalf.
Christopher Darnell Jones Sr. told WWBT-TV Richmond that he "still can't believe" what happened. His son, UVA student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., is the primary suspect in Sunday's shooting on the university's Charlottesville campus. The attack left three members of the school's football team dead and injured two more. The suspect was a member of the football team himself in 2018, but did not play any games, USA Today reported.
Jones Jr. was taken into custody on Monday and charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of felony use of a handgun, The Hill reported.
The suspect's father said the last time he spoke to his son was one month ago, and that "he seemed like he was doing really well ... He still was upbeat, and he was positive."
"I don't know what happened between then and now to cause this to happen," Jones Sr. added.
Despite this, though, Jones Sr. said something seemed off with his son when they talked.
"He had some problems the last time I talked to him. He said some people were picking on him or whatever, he didn't know how to handle it and I told him just go to school, don't pay it any mind," Jones Sr. said. "I don't know what to say except I'm sorry on his behalf, and I apologize ... I don't know what happened to cause all of this."