Charlottesville, Virginia – The University of Virginia has agreed to a $9 million settlement with the families of victims of a tragic campus shooting that claimed the lives of three football players and injured two other students in 2022. Attorney Kimberly Wald, representing some of the families, announced the settlement on Friday.
According to Wald, the university will pay $2 million each to the families of D’Sean Perry, Devin Chandler, and Lavel Davis Jr., the maximum allowed under Virginia law. An additional $3 million will be distributed to the two students who were wounded, Mike Hollins and Marlee Morgan.
While the settlement has been reached, some families are demanding the release of an independent investigation report into the shooting, completed last year. The investigation focused on the university’s actions leading up to the attack, including assessing the threat posed by the suspect, a student later charged with murder.
The alleged shooter, identified as Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was a UVA student and former football team member. Wald, representing Perry’s estate, criticized the university for not taking action to remove Jones Jr. from campus despite displaying troubling behavior.
University officials initially delayed the report’s release out of concern that it could impact the suspect’s trial. The settlement, negotiated outside of court, was approved by a judge in Albemarle County Circuit Court on Friday.
The agreements were also endorsed by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, as stated by the university. The university’s rector and president expressed sorrow over the loss of the three students and acknowledged their impact on the community.
Following the shooting, the campus was on lockdown for 12 hours until the suspect was apprehended. An external review was conducted by university officials to assess campus safety policies, the response to the incident, and previous evaluations of the suspect’s threat potential.
Families of the victims expressed a mix of emotions after the settlement, with one mother stressing the importance of releasing the investigation report for the sake of public safety. The university faces ongoing scrutiny over its handling of the shooting incident and ensuring the well-being of its students.
The tragic events of that day continue to haunt the families of the victims, underscoring the need for transparency and accountability in preventing similar incidents on college campuses. As the community grieves the loss of promising young lives, questions linger about the effectiveness of campus safety measures and the duty of institutions to protect their students.