Three football players killed, two students hurt in mass shooting at University of Virginia, suspect apprehended

Three football players killed, two students hurt in mass shooting at University of Virginia, suspect apprehended
Three football players killed, two students hurt in mass shooting at University of Virginia, suspect apprehended
HaizhanZheng/Getty Images

(CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) — A suspect is in custody after three football players were killed and two other students were injured in a mass shooting at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville on Sunday night, authorities said.

The shooting took place on a bus full of students returning home from a class field trip to see a play in Washington, D.C., university officials said.

All three victims killed were on the football team, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan said at a news conference. The victims were identified as wide receivers Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler and linebacker D’Sean Perry.

The suspect, identified as student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was taken into custody Monday morning following an overnight manhunt, authorities announced.

Jones was a running back for the university’s football team in 2018, though he never played in a game.

A motive is not clear, Ryan said.

One injured student is in critical condition and the other is in good condition, Ryan said Monday.

The shooting was reported on the University of Virginia’s campus at about 10:30 p.m. local time, according to police.

University of Virginia sophomore Em Gunter said she was in her dormitory doing schoolwork when she heard gunshots.

“I looked over to my friend and like, ‘Did you hear that?’ I was like, ‘I think that was like gunfire,'” Gunter recalled in a telephone interview with ABC News early Monday, while sheltering in place.

“I’m terrified,” she said.

Gunter invited her friend Nicholas Lansing to shelter in her third-floor dorm room, since his is on the ground floor.

“I have one locked door, but I also have a glass window that leads directly outside. So I’ve been up here on the third floor in Em’s room for the past three and a half hours,” Lansing, a University of Virginia junior, told ABC News via telephone.

The university’s president canceled classes for Monday.

Longo learned of the suspect’s capture in the middle of Monday morning’s news conference, when a captain with the Virginia State Police interrupted Longo and whispered in his ear.

“We’ve just received information that the suspect is in custody,” Longo announced, before a lengthy pause absorbing the news.

“Just need a moment to thank God, breathe a sigh of relief,” he said.

The 22-year-old was taken into custody just before 11 a.m. in Henrico County, Virginia, according to Henrico police.

Longo said Jones is facing charges of three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony. Charges could change, he said.

Longo also revealed prior history involving Jones. In September, university officials investigated a report of Jones making a comment about possessing a gun, but Longo said Jones did not make a threat.

Jones was involved in a hazing investigation, which was later closed due to uncooperative witnesses, Longo said.

The university’s threat assessment team also learned of a prior criminal incident involving “a concealed weapon violation” from February 2021 in another city, Longo said. Jones is required as a student “to report that — and he never did — so the university has taken appropriate administrative charges,” Longo said. That matter is pending, Longo said.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Monday: “The President and First Lady are mourning with the University of Virginia community after yet another deadly shooting in America has taken the lives of three young people. Our deepest condolences are with the countless families, friends, and neighbors grieving for those killed as well as those injured in this senseless shooting.”

The press secretary called on the Senate to pass an assault weapons ban. The House narrowly passed a ban in a symbolic vote in July.

“We need to enact an assault weapons ban to get weapons of war off America’s streets,” the statement said. “House Democrats acted, and the Senate should follow.”

ABC News’ Peter Charalambous, Jack Date, Melissa Gaffney and Lauren Minore contributed to this report.

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Driver arrested for allegedly driving car through South Los Angeles festival, injuring seven

Driver arrested for allegedly driving car through South Los Angeles festival, injuring seven
Driver arrested for allegedly driving car through South Los Angeles festival, injuring seven
KABC

(LOS ANGELES) — Police have arrested a driver who allegedly crashed his car through a street carnival in South Los Angeles on Saturday night, injuring seven people.

The Los Angeles Police Department arrested 23-year-old Steven Weems for felony hit and run, officials told ABC News. Weems is being held on $50,000 bail, the LAPD confirmed.

The incident occurred near the 3000 block of South Trinity Street, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said.

Police told ABC News Los Angeles station KABC that the victims were between 30 and 50 years old. The police also told ABC News the victims in the incident suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

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Six dead after two planes collide and crash during WWII air show in Dallas

Six dead after two planes collide and crash during WWII air show in Dallas
Six dead after two planes collide and crash during WWII air show in Dallas
Catherine McQueen/Getty Images/STOCK

(DALLAS) — Six people are dead following a collision that occurred at a World War II air show in Dallas, authorities said Sunday.

Two vintage aircraft collided in mid-air and crashed during the event Wings Over Dallas on Saturday, organizers said. The event featured flying demonstrations of WWII fighter planes at the Dallas Executive Airport.

“Authorities will continue working today on the investigation & identification of the deceased. Please pray for their families and all involved,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Sunday.

A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and crashed around 1:20 p.m. local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Five of the victims were on the B-17, while one victim was on the P-63 when they crashed, National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham told reporters during a news conference on Sunday.

Investigators are using radar to pinpoint the point of collision, Graham said. They are also interviewing other pilots and looking into the training records of the pilots involved, including how they practiced the maneuvers they planned and cleared with officials, as well as the maintenance records of the aircraft, according to the NTSB.

They were no black boxes on the planes, NTSB officials said, adding that the planes are not required to have them.

The air show, timed to coincide with Veterans Day, is organized by the Commemorative Air Force, an education association focused on American military aviation.

Leah Block, a spokesperson for Commemorative Air Force, told ABC News she believes there were five crew members on the B-17 and one aboard the P-63, which is a single-seat plane. The Houston-based aircraft were not giving rides to paying customers at the time, she said.

There were no injuries to spectators or others on the ground, according to Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.

The airport said there was an “incident” during the show and that Dallas Fire and Rescue were responding.

Bystanders captured a cloud of black smoke following the crash. Debris from the planes could also be seen littering a nearby highway.

The debris field includes the airport grounds, Highway 67 and a nearby strip mall, the mayor said.

Commemorative Air Force CEO and President Hank Coates said there will counseling available for first responders and attendees who witnessed the crash.

“It’s very difficult for me to talk about it because I know all these people, these are family and they’re good friends,” he told reporters.

This was the company’s seventh air show in Dallas and had anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 attendees and volunteers present at the time of the crash, organizers said.

“This is the first issue like this that we’ve ever had to deal with,” Coates said.

The FAA and the NTSB are investigating the collision. The NSTB will release a preliminary report, Coates said.

“The NTSB is launching a go-team to investigate Saturday’s mid-air collision between a Boeing B-17G and a Bell P-63F near Dallas, Texas. Member Michael Graham will serve as spokesperson on scene. Team expected to arrive tomorrow,” the NTSB said Saturday in a statement.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the incident a “tragedy” and said on Twitter state agencies were assisting local officials in the response.

ABC News’ Jeffrey Cook, Amanda Maile and Nicholas Kerr contributed to this report.

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Sixteen high school hockey players injured in Indiana after semi-truck crashes into team bus

Sixteen high school hockey players injured in Indiana after semi-truck crashes into team bus
Sixteen high school hockey players injured in Indiana after semi-truck crashes into team bus
PBNJ Productions/Getty Images

(WARSAW, Ind.) — At least 16 were injured Saturday night, after a tractor-trailer ran a red light and slammed into a bus carrying high school hockey players in Warsaw, Indiana, according to law enforcement officials.

In a press release Sunday, the Warsaw Police Department said it received reports of a semi-truck speeding excessively and swerving into other lanes.

According to the students’ high school, Saint Ignatius College Prep, there were 23 students on the bus, with 16 being injured. Three students were critically injured and required surgery, the school said.

The students ranged between the ages of 14 and 17 years old, with most of them being 15 years old, police said. The students were traveling from Chicago for a weekend hockey tournament. Warsaw is about 120 miles south of Chicago.

“The Saint Ignatius Wolfpack Hockey Club says, ‘we will get through this together.’ Our thoughts, prayers, and heartfelt concern are with them,” the school’s president John Chandler and director of communications Kristyn Hartman said in a statement on the school’s website.

Police arrested the suspected semi-truck driver, identified as 58-year-old Victor Santos from Brooklyn, New York, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Authorities said they smelled alcohol on the suspect when they arrived and noticed he was slurring his words. Santos reportedly failed a field sobriety test, according to Warsaw police.

Police are currently investigating the crash and continuing to hold the suspect in custody due to pending drunk driving charges.

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The best way to protect you and your family this flu season

The best way to protect you and your family this flu season
The best way to protect you and your family this flu season
evrim ertik/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Although it’s still early in the flu season, hospitals around the country are seeing more and more cases of the virus, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting there were at least 2.8 million cases, 23,000 hospitalizations and 1,300 deaths as of last week.

The higher-than-usual increase in flu cases is stretching hospitals to capacity, many of which are already trying to manage a surge in RSV cases in children as well as address ongoing COVID-19 cases.

Flu, which is caused by influenza viruses, is a contagious illness. According to the CDC, anyone can get the flu and symptoms of the virus include body or muscle aches, a cough, fatigue, fever, headache, a runny or stuffy nose and sore throat. Diarrhea and vomiting may also occur but these symptoms tend to affect children more than adults. Those who are at higher risk of developing complications from the flu include older adults over the age of 65, individuals with chronic medical conditions, pregnant women and young children, especially those 2 and under.

Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House’s COVID-19 response coordinator, told “Good Morning America” that one of the best ways to protect against the flu and COVID-19 is to get vaccinated.

“We are seeing a resurgence of flu. We’re seeing COVID cases tick up. But the good news is we’ve got two highly effective vaccines and the most important thing people can do to protect themselves and their families this holiday season is to get those vaccines,” Jha said. “And we are ready. We’re ready to help hospitals if they’re overwhelmed if they need extra staffing. We’re ready to manage this flu and COVID season ahead.”

Individuals can choose to get both their flu and COVID vaccines at the same time or wait to space them out, according to guidance from the CDC.

“I got them both at the same time. Totally safe, totally reasonable to do that. That’s what I’ve been recommending,” Jha said. “Obviously, if you want to keep them apart, that’s fine, but I really think it’s totally safe and very effective to get them at the same time and then you’re just done.”

The vaccines are not 100% preventative but Jha said they are effective in protecting against serious illnesses.

“If you get this vaccine, it is still possible to get the flu. These vaccines are not 100% effective at preventing infection, but they are terrific at preventing serious illness. They’ll keep you out of the hospital. They’ll keep you out of the ICU and that’s what really matters,” he said.

Jha added that this year’s flu vaccine appears to be a good match to the dominant flu virus strain in circulation.

“It’s actually quite effective,” he said. “It is not every year but this year, it really looks like it’s a very good match.”

And for those who say they’re tired of getting yet another vaccine, Jha has this message: “It’s obviously been a tough two-and-a-half years. I think some people have gotten out of practice of getting their annual flu shot. What I remind people is we’ve been doing this for a long time. In the fall, we go out and get the flu vaccine. This year, add that COVID vaccine. If people do that, it’s a great way to make sure you have a safe and non-disruptive holiday season ahead.”

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New photo of King Charles III released to celebrate 74th birthday

New photo of King Charles III released to celebrate 74th birthday
New photo of King Charles III released to celebrate 74th birthday
Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

(LONDON) — King Charles III is celebrating his first birthday as Britain’s reigning monarch.

To mark the occasion, Buckingham Palace on Monday released a new photo of Charles, who is now 74.

The photo shows Charles resting against an ancient oak tree in Windsor Great Park, near Windsor Castle.

Along with the photo, the palace announced that Charles has been named The Ranger of Great Windsor Park, a position that for the past nearly 500 years has been held by a member of the royal family.

Charles takes over as ranger from his father, the late Prince Philip, who held the role for 70 years.

“We are honoured to have His Majesty as Ranger of Windsor Great Park, continuing a long tradition of the Sovereign and members of the Royal Family holding this role,” Paul Sedgwick, rural and deputy ranger of Windsor Great Park, said in a statement shared by the palace. “Windsor has a wonderful heritage with many precious natural habitats.”

He continued, “His Majesty’s passion and commitment to the natural world will be invaluable as we seek to become a center of excellence for environmental best practice, preserving and enhancing the Great Park for generations to come.”

As he assumes the new role, Charles will celebrate his birthday Monday privately, with no public engagements on his schedule.

Charles’ birthday this year is his first without his father or his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September at the age of 96.

The queen was preceded in death by Philip, her husband of more than 70 years, who died April 9, 2021, at the age of 99.

Next year will be a monumental one for Charles, whose coronation will take place in May at Westminster Abbey.

Charles’s wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, will also be crowned during the ceremony, the first to take place since the queen’s coronation in 1953.

The palace has yet to announce details of the service but it is understood it will be smaller and shorter than the queen’s coronation.

Charles, a father of two and grandfather of five, was born at Buckingham Palace in London in 1948.

He was just 3 years old when he became the heir apparent, as his mother acceded to the throne as queen, following the death of her father, King George VI.

Charles was the first heir to see his mother crowned, according to a biography on the royal family’s official website.

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Muir asks Pence why Trump didn’t make calls during 1/6 riot: ‘Good question for him,’ Pence says

Muir asks Pence why Trump didn’t make calls during 1/6 riot: ‘Good question for him,’ Pence says
Muir asks Pence why Trump didn’t make calls during 1/6 riot: ‘Good question for him,’ Pence says

(CARMEL, Ind.) — Former Vice President Mike Pence said in an exclusive interview with ABC’s World News Tonight anchor David Muir that while he was working to connect with military and law enforcement officials during the Jan. 6 riot, he couldn’t speak to then-President Donald Trump’s apparent inaction.

“Over the course of several hours, you spoke with the acting defense secretary. You spoke with the joint chiefs of staff, Gen. [Mark] Milley. ​You spoke the acting attorney general, Jeff Rosen, with the chief of Capitol police. Where was the president in all this?” Muir asked the former vice president.

“David, I was at the Capitol. I wasn’t at the White House,” Pence told Muir. “I can’t account for what the president was doing that day. I was at a loading dock in the Capitol where a riot was taking place.”

Muir pressed Pence on reports that Trump was watching the riot unfold on television at the White House.

“But why wasn’t he making these calls?” Muir pressed.

Pence responded: “That’d be a good question for him.”

In an exclusive interview at the former vice president’s home in Indiana, Muir also pressed Pence on whether Trump should ever be in the White House again, whether Pence will run for president, whether Trump hurt Republicans in the midterms, and what Pence makes of authorities saying classified documents were taken from the White House.

Pence was overseeing Congress’ certification of the 2020 Electoral College results on Jan. 6, 2021, when a large crowd urged on by Trump marched to the Capitol and then overran security and vandalized the building, sending Pence and congressional lawmakers into lockdown.

Trump, who has insisted he did nothing wrong, ultimately told the rioters to leave but only after berating Pence for not blocking the certification — which Pence noted he couldn’t legally do — and repeating baseless conspiracy theories about widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

ABC News’ Tal Axelrod contributed to this report.

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Moderna says bivalent COVID-19 booster shot performs better against BA.5 omicron subvariant

Moderna says bivalent COVID-19 booster shot performs better against BA.5 omicron subvariant
Moderna says bivalent COVID-19 booster shot performs better against BA.5 omicron subvariant
SDI Productions/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — American biotechnology company Moderna announced Monday that a booster dose of its bivalent COVID-19 vaccine performs better against two circulating versions of the omicron variant, compared with a booster shot of its original formula.

The news echoes a similar announcement made earlier this month by American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, about their own bivalent booster shot.

In late August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized bivalent formulations of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech for use as a single booster dose at least two months following primary or booster vaccination, designed to be a better match against the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. Since then, more than 31 million Americans have received the updated booster shots, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Each of the companies now have released data indicating their new formulations generate a superior antibody response against the current omicron subvariants.

According to a press release, new data from a Phase 2-3 clinical trial shows Moderna’s bivalent vaccine triggered antibody responses against the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants that were on average 15.1-fold higher, compared with the company’s prototype vaccine, when measured in adults approximately nine and a half months after prior vaccination. The safety and tolerability profile of the bivalent booster remains similar to the original vaccine, with adverse events “generally lower than the second dose of the primary series,” Moderna said.

The company noted that a preliminary analysis suggests its bivalent booster showed “neutralizing activity” against a descendant of BA.5 called BQ.1.1, which comprises a growing portion of COVID-19 cases. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel praised the data in a statement, saying it confirms “that updated vaccines have the potential to offer protection as the virus continues to evolve rapidly to escape our immunity.”

Moderna’s analysis, as described in the press release, has not been vetted through the normal scientific review process.

Smaller independent studies by outside scientists suggest there is little difference between antibody responses produced by the original and updated formulas of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, though both boosted antibody protection.

All of these studies are conducted by taking blood samples from recently vaccinated participants and measuring antibodies in a laboratory. They give us a hint of how well the vaccines might work but do not tell the full story of their effectiveness. Vaccines are still expected to offer a high level of protection against severe illness.

Once the dominant viral strain, the BA.5 subvariant is now estimated to account for about 30% of all new COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to the CDC. Newer versions of the omicron variant, such as BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, are slowly overtaking as a proportion of estimated cases, at 20% and 24%, respectively. These subvariants are descendants of BA.5.

The current COVID-19 situation in the U.S. is relatively stable, with cases rising slightly as hospitalizations and deaths remain comparatively consistent.

As the world nears its third year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the virus continues to evolve, booster shots are expected to bolster protection against severe illness but not necessarily mild or asymptomatic breakthrough infections.

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Three dead in shooting at University of Virginia, suspect at large

Three football players killed, two students hurt in mass shooting at University of Virginia, suspect apprehended
Three football players killed, two students hurt in mass shooting at University of Virginia, suspect apprehended
HaizhanZheng/Getty Images

(CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) — A suspect is on the run after at least three people were killed and two others were injured in a shooting at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville on Sunday night, authorities said.

In a statement sent to the university’s community early Monday and subsequently shared with ABC News by school officials, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan identified the suspect as student Christopher Darnell Jones, Jr. The University of Virginia Police Department also named Jones as the suspect at large via Twitter.

Both Ryan and police confirmed that “multiple” law enforcement agencies are actively searching for Jones, who they said is “armed and dangerous.” Police ordered the university community to “shelter in place” in the meantime.

“As of this writing, I am heartbroken to report that the shooting has resulted in three fatalities; two additional victims were injured and are receiving medical care,” Ryan said in the statement. “We are working closely with the families of the victims, and we will share additional detail as soon as we are able.”

Jones is described as a Black man wearing a burgundy jacket, blue jeans and red shoes. He may be driving a black SUV with Virginia license plates, police said.

The shooting was reported on the University of Virginia’s campus in the area of Culbreth Road on Sunday at about 10:30 p.m. local time, according to Ryan and police.

University of Virginia sophomore Em Gunter said she was in her dormitory doing schoolwork when she heard gunshots late Sunday.

“I looked over to my friend and like, ‘Did you hear that?’ I was like, ‘I think that was like gunfire,'” Gunter recalled in a telephone interview with ABC News early Monday, while sheltering in place.

Gunter said she and her peers have been sheltering in place in their dorm rooms for nearly six hours.

“I’m terrified,” she added. “I have no words.”

The university’s president cancelled classes for Monday due to the deadly shooting, which he called a “traumatic incident for everyone in our community.”

“This is a message any leader hopes never to have to send, and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia,” Ryan added. “I am holding the victims, their families, and all members of the University of Virginia community in my heart today, and we will make plans to come together as a community to grieve as soon as the suspect is apprehended.”

Gunter invited her friend Nicholas Lansing to shelter in her third-floor dorm room, since his is on the ground floor.

“I have one locked door, but I also have a glass window that leads directly outside. So I’ve been up here on the third floor in Em’s room for the past three and a half hours,” Lansing, a University of Virginia junior, told ABC News via telephone. “I don’t want to go downstairs with an active shooting and suspects still not found.”

ABC News’ Peter Charalambous, Melissa Gaffney and Lauren Minore contributed to this report.

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3 football players killed, 2 students hurt in mass shooting at University of Virginia, suspect apprehended

Three football players killed, two students hurt in mass shooting at University of Virginia, suspect apprehended
Three football players killed, two students hurt in mass shooting at University of Virginia, suspect apprehended
HaizhanZheng/Getty Images

(CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) — A suspect is in custody after three football players were killed and two other students were injured in a mass shooting at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville on Sunday night, authorities said.

The shooting took place on a bus full of students returning home from a class field trip to see a play in Washington, D.C., university officials said.

All three victims killed were on the football team, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan said at a news conference.

The suspect, identified as student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was taken into custody Monday morning following an overnight manhunt, authorities announced.

Jones was a running back for the university’s football team in 2018, though he never played in a game.

A motive is not clear, Ryan said.

One injured student is in critical condition and the other is in good condition, Ryan said Monday.

The shooting was reported on the University of Virginia’s campus at about 10:30 p.m. local time, according to police.

University of Virginia sophomore Em Gunter said she was in her dormitory doing schoolwork when she heard gunshots.

“I looked over to my friend and like, ‘Did you hear that?’ I was like, ‘I think that was like gunfire,'” Gunter recalled in a telephone interview with ABC News early Monday, while sheltering in place.

“I’m terrified,” she said.

Gunter invited her friend Nicholas Lansing to shelter in her third-floor dorm room, since his is on the ground floor.

“I have one locked door, but I also have a glass window that leads directly outside. So I’ve been up here on the third floor in Em’s room for the past three and a half hours,” Lansing, a University of Virginia junior, told ABC News via telephone.

The university’s president cancelled classes for Monday.

“This is a message any leader hopes never to have to send, and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia,” Ryan said. “I am holding the victims, their families, and all members of the University of Virginia community in my heart today.”

ABC News’ Peter Charalambous, Melissa Gaffney and Lauren Minore contributed to this report

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