US university shooting suspect caught

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia (AP) — The suspect in a University of Virginia shooting that killed three members of the school's football team as they returned to campus from a field trip was captured on Monday.

The violence that also wounded two students late Sunday erupted near a parking garage and closed much of the campus while police searched through the night for the gunman.

Officials got word during a mid-morning news briefing that the suspect, 22-year-old Christopher Darnell Jones Jr had been arrested.

“Just give me a moment to thank God, breathe a sigh of relief,” university Police Chief Timothy Longo Sr said after learning Jones was in custody.

The shooting happened just after 10:15 p.m. Sunday as a charter bus full of students returned from seeing a play in Washington.

University President Jim Ryan said authorities did not have a “full understanding” of the motive or circumstances surrounding the shooting.

The shooting touched off an intense manhunt, with authorities conducting a building-by-building search of the campus while students sheltered in place. The lockdown order was lifted late Monday morning.

Jones was taken into custody without incident in suburban Richmond, police said.

Authorities obtained arrest warrants for Jones charging him with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony.

Jones had once been on the football team, but had not been on the team for at least a year.

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