Other roommates home when 4 Idaho college students were stabbed to death

Other roommates home when 4 Idaho college students were stabbed to death
Other roommates home when 4 Idaho college students were stabbed to death
Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram

(MOSCOW, Idaho) — Police in Moscow, Idaho, are pleading with the public to help them find the unknown suspect who stabbed four University of Idaho students to death in a house near campus.

“That individual is still out there,” Moscow Police Chief James Fry said during a news conference Wednesday. “We cannot say there is no threat to the community.”

The victims were killed with a knife in “an isolated, targeted attack”, Fry said.

The students, who were killed early Sunday morning and found hours later, were identified as Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Arizona; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho.

Two other roommates were home at the time of the crime, and they were not hurt, Fry said. It was not a hostage situation, he added.

Those roommates were home when police responded to a call for an unconscious individual at about noon on Sunday, Fry said.

Police said they are working to determine the victims’ timeline Saturday night.

Chapin and Kernodle were at a party on campus while Goncalves and Mogen were at a downtown bar that night, Fry said.

Chapin didn’t live in the house but was sleeping over with his girlfriend, Kernodle, according to his mother, Stacy Chapin.

Goncalves and Mogen had been best friends since childhood and “did everything together,” Goncalves’ sister, Alivia Goncalves, told ABC News.

She said she finds some solace that the friends were together in their final moments.

Autopsies are taking place Wednesday, Fry said.

He urged anyone with information about the victims’ whereabouts to call the tip line at 208-883-7180.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Up to 4 feet of lake-effect snow forecast for Buffalo, New York

Up to 4 feet of lake-effect snow forecast for Buffalo, New York
Up to 4 feet of lake-effect snow forecast for Buffalo, New York
ABC News

(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — Western New York is bracing for a “significant” lake-effect snowstorm that could dump up to 4 feet of snow in the Buffalo region over the coming days.

A lake-effect snow warning is in effect starting 7 p.m. Wednesday through 1 a.m. Saturday for southern Erie County.

The long-duration event is also expected in the east and southeast Great Lakes region, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Up to 4 feet of snow is possible for the region by Saturday morning. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph are also forecast.

“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the National Weather Service in Buffalo warned. “The hazardous conditions will impact the commutes from Thursday morning through Friday evening.”

Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour are forecast for the Thursday morning commute.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she plans to issue a state of emergency that will into effect Thursday morning and will deploy emergency response assets ahead of the storm.

“Hazardous travel conditions and local power outages as a result of the storm are likely due to the combination of snow, ice and wind in the forecast,” her office said in a statement Wednesday.

Parts of the New York State Thruway will also be closed to commercial traffic starting at 4 p.m. Thursday, she said.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz advised private businesses and schools to close on Friday if the forecast holds.

“We are gonna have a doozy,” he said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

Lake-effect snow is common in the late fall and early winter along the downwind shores of the Great Lakes, which is caused by cold air flowing over the warmer waters of the Great Lakes.

In November 2014, more than 5 feet of lake-effect snow fell just east of Buffalo, in what was one of the most significant winter events in the city’s history, according to the National Weather Service. A second lake-effect event days later dropped another 1 to 4 feet of snow in the same area, bringing the total from the two storms to nearly 7 feet, it said.

Beyond Buffalo, snow is also expected over upper New England on Wednesday, with winter weather advisories issued for the area.

Upstate New York, northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are expected to see more than 3 inches of fresh snow, with more than 6 inches expected in northern Maine. More than a foot is possible along the Canadian border in Maine.

ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke and Brian Hartman contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Darrell Brooks sentenced to life in prison in deadly Christmas parade attack

Darrell Brooks sentenced to life in prison in deadly Christmas parade attack
Darrell Brooks sentenced to life in prison in deadly Christmas parade attack
Witthaya Prasongsin/Getty Images

(WAUKESHA, Wisc.) — Darrell Brooks was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility for parole for driving his SUV into a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more, after being removed twice from the courtroom for disrupting the proceedings.

“This community can only be safe if you are behind bars for the rest of your life,” Judge Jennifer Dorow said in announcing her sentencing for the six counts of first-degree intentional homicide, which she said will be served consecutively.

Wednesday’s sentencing comes after dozens of victims of the attack confronted Brooks in angry, emotional statements on Tuesday.

Brooks and his family had raised his mental health issues in his defense. Though Dorow said his actions behind the wheel that day — including choosing to drive toward the parade despite multiple opportunities to avoid it — did not support a claim of mental illness, and that he acted “recklessly, carelessly and maliciously.”

“It is very clear to this court that he understands the difference between right and wrong, and he simply chooses to ignore his conscious,” Dorow said. “He is fueled by anger and rage.”

“Some people unfortunately choose a path of evil. And I think, Mr. Brooks, you are one of those such persons,” she continued.

The judge teared up talking about the footage from the scene.

“Those are images that frankly kept me up at night,” she said.

Dorow spoke about the impact on the victims, including their statements on Tuesday, before announcing her sentencing.

“This trial is unlike anything that I’ve ever been a part of,” she said. “The sheer magnitude of the crime, the number of people impacted, how they were impacted. The vicious, senseless nature of it.”

She highlighted his lack of remorse during a two-hour statement made in court ahead of his sentencing and criticized a “feeble attempt to blame mental health.”

“I waited for a true apology. I didn’t get it,” she said. “Not for my benefit, but for the victims.”

Brooks was removed from the courtroom during the judge’s sentencing remarks for what Dorow described as a “tirade” and placed in another courtroom with audio access to the proceedings. He was brought back for the sentencing, though the judge removed him again for failing to be orderly.

Prior to Dorow’s sentencing, several people spoke on Brooks’ behalf in Waukesha County court on Wednesday over Zoom, starting with his mother, Dawn Brooks.

“Jail is not the only answer,” she told the court. “Help, treatment, hospitalization and medication — it plays a big role in preventing this, where we are today, if it would have been offered sooner.”

She also read the Maya Angelou poem “Caged Bird.”

“Everyone who suffers from mental illness is caged. All they want is to be free of their illness and become mentally well,” she said, adding that she believes society has an obligation to help others through treatment and medication.

Brooks’ grandmother, Mary Edwards, told the court that he has suffered from bipolar disorder since the age of 12.

“It was that disorder that caused him to drive through that crowd,” she said. “It is my prayer that he will be treated for this illness.”

Court-ordered examinations diagnosed Brooks with antisocial personality disorder, according to Dorow.

Brooks himself addressed the court for over two hours in a wide-ranging, rambling statement that touched on his faith, upbringing, children and mental illness. At one point, he apologized for the incident, which he said was not “planned” or “plotted.”

“I want everyone to know, also the community of Waukesha, I want you to know that not only am I sorry for what happened, I’m sorry that you could not see what’s truly in my heart. That you cannot see the remorse that I have,” he said.

He also apologized to the judge for his antics and outbursts throughout the trial.

“Nothing about it was personal,” he said. “I think it was just the pot boiling over.”

At one point he asked to turn to address the victims in the gallery, which the judge denied.

“I don’t think they’re ready for that yet,” Dorow said.

A jury found Brooks, 40, guilty last month on all 76 counts, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide, for barreling his SUV into a Christmas parade on Nov. 21, 2021.

Those killed were Tamara Durand, 52; Wilhelm Hospel, 81; Jane Kulich, 52; Leanna Owen, 71; Virginia Sorenson, 79; and Jackson Sparks, 8.

When Dorow asked him what he thinks the court should do in regard to sentencing, Brooks said he did not understand the “true nature and cause of the charges.”

“I also believe a decision was already made before we even got here,” he said.

When asked what he thinks of a potential sentence of life without the possibility of parole, Brooks said he would like to go somewhere “where I can be helped.”

Addressing the court on Tuesday during the first day of the sentencing, survivors detailed how Brooks robbed them of their sense of personal safety, trust and peace and affected them physically and mentally. Parents recalled frantically searching for their children, and the injuries they endured in the attack. Family members honored the memory of those who were killed. Many who addressed the court asked for the maximum sentence possible.

Several of those who spoke in court were children who recounted the horror and long-lasting impact of that day.

“I know that I lost a piece of myself that day, and I’m still trying to find it,” one young victim who was dancing in the parade when the attack occurred told the court on Tuesday.

Another dancer who was injured in the parade spoke of being scared of cars at the bus stop.

“It is getting closer and closer to Nov. 21 and I don’t think I’m ready for this day to come,” the 12-year-old victim told the court on Tuesday. “On this day each year, I and many others will think of how a peaceful event that has been a tradition in Waukesha for over 50 years, and brought smiles and laughter to everyone, turned into tragedy.”

The sentencing hearing was briefly paused Tuesday morning after an unknown person threatened a mass shooting at the Waukesha County Courthouse, authorities said. The threat is under investigation and security at the courthouse was increased, the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office said.

Brooks was also briefly removed from the courtroom on Tuesday for what Dorow described as his continued “defiant behavior,” which had included shouting at and interrupting the judge and prosecutors.

Brooks initially pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease but withdrew the plea in September. He dismissed his public defenders during the trial and went on to represent himself.

Prior to the start of the trial, Brooks’ mother had written to the judge in September asking that he not be allowed to represent himself in court because “he is not stable mentally enough,” Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN reported at the time.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Twenty-five police recruits hurt when struck by wrong-way driver: ‘Bodies scattered everywhere,’ sheriff says

Twenty-five police recruits hurt when struck by wrong-way driver: ‘Bodies scattered everywhere,’ sheriff says
Twenty-five police recruits hurt when struck by wrong-way driver: ‘Bodies scattered everywhere,’ sheriff says
KABC

(LOS ANGELES) — Twenty-five police recruits were injured while on a run in Los Angeles early Wednesday when they were struck by a man driving the wrong way, officials said.

About 75 recruits were on the run. The group was mostly Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department recruits, but also included others from nearby police departments, including Pasadena and Glendale.

“It looked like an airplane wreck, there were so many bodies scattered everywhere,” LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a news conference.

Five of the recruits were critically hurt, four suffered moderate injuries and 16 have minor injuries, officials said at a news conference.

Injuries include head trauma, loss of limb and broken bones, officials said. At least one victim is on a ventilator, the sheriff said.

The 22-year-old driver, who has been detained, has minor injuries, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Sheila Kelliher said.

The cause of the crash is unknown. The California Highway Patrol said it’ll investigate whether the crash was intentional or the result of distracted driving or driving under the influence.

Villanueva said the driver blew a 0.0 on a Breathalyzer test.

“It looks like it’s an accident, a horrific accident,” Villanueva said.

The recruits were running on a routine route at the time of the crash, which took place around 6:29 a.m. Wednesday, while it was still dark out, officials said.

“Road guards” wearing reflective vests ran on the outside of the recruits, officials said.

The sheriff’s office also had two patrol cars escorting the runners.

The accident took place just outside of a fire station, so firefighters immediately raced to the scene, officials said.

Some recruits estimated the car was going about 30 mph, officials said.

“It is hard to see, because these young people are getting ready to go put themselves in the line of danger in their career. And who knows that while you’re training to do that you are actually in harm’s way,” Kelliher said at a news conference. “So my heart goes out to all of them as they pursue this career. I hope that they all have speedy recoveries.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Darrell Brooks to be sentenced in deadly Christmas parade attack

Darrell Brooks sentenced to life in prison in deadly Christmas parade attack
Darrell Brooks sentenced to life in prison in deadly Christmas parade attack
Witthaya Prasongsin/Getty Images

(WAUKESHA, Wis.) — Darrell Brooks is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday for driving his SUV into a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more.

Wednesday’s sentencing comes after dozens of victims of the attack confronted Brooks in angry, emotional statements on Tuesday.

Prior to Judge Jennifer Dorow’s sentencing, several people spoke on Brooks’ behalf in Waukesha County court on Wednesday over Zoom, starting with his mother, Dawn Brooks.

“Jail is not the only answer,” she told the court. “Help, treatment, hospitalization and medication — it plays a big role in preventing this, where we are today, if it would have been offered sooner.”

She also read the Maya Angelou poem “Caged Bird.”

“Everyone who suffers from mental illness is caged. All they want is to be free of their illness and become mentally well,” she said, adding that she believes society has an obligation to help others through treatment and medication.

Brooks’ grandmother, Mary Edwards, told the court that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 12.

“It was that disorder that caused him to drive through that crowd,” she said. “It is my prayer that he will be treated for this illness.”

A jury found Brooks, 40, guilty last month on all 76 counts, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide, for barreling his SUV into a Christmas parade on Nov. 21, 2021.

Those killed were Tamara Durand, 52; Wilhelm Hospel, 81; Jane Kulich, 52; Leanna Owen, 71; Virginia Sorenson, 79; and Jackson Sparks, 8.

Addressing the court on Tuesday during the first day of the sentencing, survivors detailed how Brooks robbed them of their sense of personal safety, trust and peace and affected them physically and mentally. Parents recalled frantically searching for their children, and the injuries they endured in the attack. Family members honored the memory of those who were killed. Many who addressed the court asked for the maximum sentence possible.

Several of those who spoke in court were children who recounted the horror and long-lasting impact of that day.

“I know that I lost a piece of myself that day, and I’m still trying to find it,” one young victim who was dancing in the parade when the attack occurred told the court on Tuesday.

Another dancer who was injured in the parade spoke of being scared of cars at the bus stop.

“It is getting closer and closer to Nov. 21 and I don’t think I’m ready for this day to come,” the 12-year-old victim told the court on Tuesday. “On this day each year, I and many others will think of how a peaceful event that has been a tradition in Waukesha for over 50 years, and brought smiles and laughter to everyone, turned into tragedy.”

The sentencing hearing was briefly paused Tuesday morning after an unknown person threatened a mass shooting at the Waukesha County Courthouse, authorities said. The threat is under investigation and security at the courthouse was increased, the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office said.

Brooks was also briefly removed from the courtroom on Tuesday for what Dorow described as his continued “defiant behavior,” which had included shouting at and interrupting the judge and prosecutors.

Brooks initially pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease but withdrew the plea in September. He dismissed his public defenders during the trial and went on to represent himself.

Prior to the start of the trial, Brooks’ mother had written to the judge in September asking that he not be allowed to represent himself in court because “he is not stable mentally enough,” Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN reported at the time.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘Significant’ lake-effect snow forecast for Buffalo, New York

‘Significant’ lake-effect snow forecast for Buffalo, New York
‘Significant’ lake-effect snow forecast for Buffalo, New York
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Western New York is bracing for a “significant” lake-effect snowstorm that could dump up to 4 feet of snow in the Buffalo region over the coming days.

A lake-effect snow warning is in effect starting 7 p.m. Wednesday through 1 a.m. Saturday for southern Erie County.

The long-duration event is also expected in the east and southeast Great Lakes region, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Up to 4 feet of snow is possible for the region by Saturday morning. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph are also forecast.

“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the National Weather Service in Buffalo warned. “The hazardous conditions will impact the commutes from Thursday morning through Friday evening.”

Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour are forecast for the Thursday morning commute.

Lake-effect snow is common in the late fall and early winter along the downwind shores of the Great Lakes, which is caused by cold air flowing over the warmer waters of the Great Lakes.

In November 2014, more than 5 feet of lake-effect snow fell just east of Buffalo, in what was one of the most significant winter events in the city’s history, according to the National Weather Service.

Beyond Buffalo, snow is also expected over upper New England on Wednesday, with winter weather advisories issued for the area.

Upstate New York, northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are expected to see more than 3 inches of fresh snow, with more than 6 inches expected in northern Maine. More than a foot is possible along the Canadian border in Maine.

ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Twenty-two LA sheriff’s office recruits injured when struck by wrong-way driver

Twenty-five police recruits hurt when struck by wrong-way driver: ‘Bodies scattered everywhere,’ sheriff says
Twenty-five police recruits hurt when struck by wrong-way driver: ‘Bodies scattered everywhere,’ sheriff says
KABC

(LOS ANGELES) — Twenty-two recruits with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office were injured while on a run when they were struck by a man driving the wrong way, the sheriff’s office said.

Five of the recruits were critically hurt and four suffered moderate injuries, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Sheila Kelliher said at a news conference.

The 22-year-old driver, who has been detained, has minor injuries, Kelliher said.

About 40 recruits were running together at the time of the accident, which took place around 6:29 a.m. Wednesday, while it was still dark out, officials said. The recruits were wearing reflective vests at the time, a sheriff’s department official said.

“It is hard to see, because these young people are getting ready to go put themselves in the line of danger in their career. And who knows that while you’re training to do that you are actually in harm’s way,” Kelliher said at a news conference. “So my heart goes out to all of them as they pursue this career. I hope that they all have speedy recoveries.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

University of Virginia suspect allegedly shot football player as he slept: Prosecutor

University of Virginia suspect allegedly shot football player as he slept: Prosecutor
University of Virginia suspect allegedly shot football player as he slept: Prosecutor
The Henrico County, VA Sheriff’s Office

(CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) — The 22-year-old University of Virginia student accused of gunning down three classmates allegedly shot one of the victims as he slept, according to prosecutors.

The three slain students, Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry, were all members of the football team, according to University of Virginia President Jim Ryan.

Two other students were injured in the shooting that unfolded on a bus as it returned to the Charlottesville campus on Sunday night from a field trip in Washington, D.C.

The suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was taken into custody Monday morning following an overnight manhunt.

Prosecutors allege that Jones targeted specific students on the bus, including Chandler. Prosecutors claimed that Jones shot Chandler as he slept on the bus.

Jones did not enter a plea at his first court appearance Wednesday. Jones, who previously worked at the Charlottesville Boys and Girls Club and at a local hospital, was given a temporary, court-appointed attorney.

University of Virginia sophomore Ryan Lynch said he was on the bus when gunshots erupted.

“I was scared that with all the shots that were fired, he had shot everyone on the bus,” Lynch told ABC News. “So I thought he was going to shoot me, too.”

When asked if he had noticed any kind of animosity or tension between the shooter and the victims, Lynch said: “No. To my knowledge, they did not know him. The only thing is that they were on the football team.”

In 2018, Jones was a running back for the University of Virginia’s football team, the Virginia Cavaliers, though he never played in a game. Virginia Cavaliers Athletics Director Carla Williams said Jones was a student beginning in 2018 and was a walk-on for one semester. She said “there was no overlap” on the team between Jones and the victims, adding that she doesn’t “know if there was any interaction outside of the class.”

A motive remains unclear, according to the university’s president.

Jones is facing three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, according to University of Virginia Police Chief Timothy Longo. Charges could change, he said.

Albemarle County Commonwealth Attorney James Hingeley confirmed to ABC News that Jones also faces two counts of malicious wounding of the two other students.

As the university’s community mourns, classes are set to resume Wednesday. But undergraduates aren’t required to finish any graded assignments or take exams before Thanksgiving break, according to the university’s president.

UVA has canceled this weekend’s home football game against Coastal Carolina. UVA has not decided if it will play its final game of the season, set for Nov. 26 at Virginia Tech.

“I’m ready for somebody to pinch me and wake me up and say that this didn’t happen,” Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliot said at a news conference.

Jones is set to return to court on Dec. 8.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

How closing the violent misdemeanor loophole could curb gun violence

How closing the violent misdemeanor loophole could curb gun violence
How closing the violent misdemeanor loophole could curb gun violence
Emily Fennick / EyeEm/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Newly released research suggests four gun safety policies supported by gun owners and non-gun owners that could reduce overall gun-related homicides by 28% and gun-related suicides by 6.7%. One of the proposals alone, called closing the misdemeanor loophole, has the potential to reduce overall gun-related homicide rates by as much as 19% according to research.

Closing the misdemeanor loophole entails lowering the threshold of what crimes can disqualify someone from being able to legally purchase or possess a gun, such as violent misdemeanor crimes including assault, battery and stalking, which are currently excluded. According to the report, current federal law allows convicted criminals to purchase and possess guns as long as their crime did not rise to the level of a felony.

This policy would prohibit the gun purchase or possession of anyone who committed a crime involving violence or threatened violence, regardless of the level of the crime, according to the report. As of this year, only four states have violent misdemeanor laws in place.

While the misdemeanor loophole proposal could largely reduce violence, researchers told ABC News the four proposals are meant to work together and rely on one another to reduce gun violence deaths.

This policy could have been effective in preventing the recent shooting at the University of Virginia which left three football players dead, Dr. Michael Siegel, a researcher at Tufts University School of Medicine who authored the report, told ABC News in an interview.

The accused gunman had committed a misdemeanor gun violation in 2021 and made comments about possessing a gun in September and the university said it was aware of these incidents.

“If Virginia had a violent misdemeanor law in place like the one that we’re proposing, he would have been automatically disqualified from purchasing a gun or from from having a gun,” Siegel said.

The research — conduced by Tufts University School of Medicine and 97percent, a bipartisan group that conducts research with the goal of reducing gun deaths in America — aimed to find common ground between gun owners and non-gun owners. The research aimed to propose gun safety policies that would keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals, while still protecting law-abiding gun owners’ Second Amendment rights, according to lead researcher Dr. Michael Siegel and Matt Litman, the president of 97percent.

“It’s based on an extensive research process in which we carefully analyze the effectiveness of state firearm laws but in addition, we consulted with gun owners, which was very unique in trying to find out what their perspectives are,” Siegel said.

The policy proposals came together based on the analysis of gun owner and non-owner perspectives through surveys and focus groups.

The other proposals are creating a state-level permit system, implementing a revamped universal background check system, and creating a red flag law with due process protections.

Research suggests that creating a state-level gun-permitting system with two permits, a general one and a concealed carry one, could reduce gun violence. The report suggests that permits should be periodically checked using a universal background check system and only be valid for a set number of years.

Obtaining a state-issued permit to purchase or possess a gun would require state and local background checks, focusing on any history of violence, and a gun safety training course.

Currently, only 12 states currently require permits to purchase a gun, six of which are only for long guns.

By simplifying universal background checks, law enforcement can utilize state and federal databases to ensure a potential permit holder has not been convicted of a violent misdemeanor or felony.

Currently, only 11 states search state and local records and background checks are only conducted at points of purchase by federally licensed sellers. Private sellers can sell guns without a background check. The proposal suggests that background checks should be conducted at the federal, state and local levels as part of the process for obtaining a license.

The research also shows there is broad support for red flag laws that implement strong due process protections. These laws allow family members or law enforcement to petition a court to remove firearms from a person who is a threat.

Only 19 states have red flag laws, while only 12 states allow family members to petition a court for a protective order.

Research suggests that family members are the most capable of seeing and identifying warning signs, and they should therefore be able to utilize red flag laws for them to be most effectively used.

Research has shown that lawmakers who signed on to bipartisan gun control legislation, that passed earlier this year, are not paying the price for voting yes on that legislation because the legislation was very popular, Litman said in an interview with ABC News.

Litman further stated that the same stands true for these four proposals, which research shows are very popular with gun owners.

“With so many different laws possible and so many states going in different directions, there’s really no uniformity and it’s hard to set priorities. We feel that if we can get all the states working together on a smaller set of policies, that the chances of pushing this forward are greater,” Siegel said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

University of Virginia student due in court for allegedly gunning down three classmates

University of Virginia suspect allegedly shot football player as he slept: Prosecutor
University of Virginia suspect allegedly shot football player as he slept: Prosecutor
The Henrico County, VA Sheriff’s Office

(CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) — As classes resume at the University of Virginia on Wednesday, a 22-year-old student is due in court for allegedly gunning down three classmates in a mass shooting on campus.

Two other students were injured in the shooting that unfolded on a bus as it returned to Charlottesville on Sunday night from a field trip in Washington, D.C.

The suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was taken into custody Monday morning following an overnight manhunt. His arraignment is set for Wednesday morning at Albemarle General District Court.

The three slain students, Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry, were all members of the football team, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan said.

Jones was a running back for the football team in 2018, though he never played in a game. Virginia Athletics Director Carla Williams said Jones was a student beginning in 2018 and was a walk-on for one semester. She said “there was no overlap” on the team between Jones and the victims, adding that she doesn’t “know if there was any interaction outside of the class.”

A motive is not clear, Ryan said Monday.

Jones is facing three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, according to UVA Police Chief Timothy Longo. Charges could change, he said.

Albemarle County Commonwealth Attorney James Hingeley confirmed to ABC News that Jones also faces two counts of malicious wounding of the two other students.

As UVA students mourn, classes are resuming on Wednesday. But undergraduates aren’t required to finish any graded assignments or take exams before Thanksgiving break, Ryan said.

As of Tuesday, the football team had not decided if it’ll play this Saturday’s scheduled game against Coastal Carolina.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.