UVA mass shooting

[Anonymous]

It bothers me that the suspect’s dad says his son revealed that he was being bullied and seemed paranoid, but was reluctant to disclose what he was paranoid about, they didn’t speak again for a month, and now, after his son shot 5 people and killed 3 of them, he’s saying his son could’ve called him instead? I feel like most parents would be doing some soul searching about all the things they should have done differently if their child was a mass shooter.

From reading other articles, I had the sense the dad was not very involved at all with raising his son after the age of 5, and was not really a part of his son's life. Not talking to his son for a month, when he thought his son was troubled, kind of confirms that the dad was not an active parent. I read this article and felt like the dad wanted the limelight, but that's me being cynical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It bothers me that the suspect’s dad says his son revealed that he was being bullied and seemed paranoid, but was reluctant to disclose what he was paranoid about, they didn’t speak again for a month, and now, after his son shot 5 people and killed 3 of them, he’s saying his son could’ve called him instead? I feel like most parents would be doing some soul searching about all the things they should have done differently if their child was a mass shooter.

From reading other articles, I had the sense the dad was not very involved at all with raising his son after the age of 5, and was not really a part of his son's life. Not talking to his son for a month, when he thought his son was troubled, kind of confirms that the dad was not an active parent. I read this article and felt like the dad wanted the limelight, but that's me being cynical.

I read similar articles that indicated the dad was not involved really at all since the suspect was a small child. The suspect had problems getting along with kids (fights, transferring schools, etc) since elementary school. He also wasn’t able to get along with his mother and moved in with his grandmother senior year of high school. His time on the UVA football team as a walk-on was brief and did not overlap with the victims (according the the UVA athletic director press conference today).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It bothers me that the suspect’s dad says his son revealed that he was being bullied and seemed paranoid, but was reluctant to disclose what he was paranoid about, they didn’t speak again for a month, and now, after his son shot 5 people and killed 3 of them, he’s saying his son could’ve called him instead? I feel like most parents would be doing some soul searching about all the things they should have done differently if their child was a mass shooter.

From reading other articles, I had the sense the dad was not very involved at all with raising his son after the age of 5, and was not really a part of his son's life. Not talking to his son for a month, when he thought his son was troubled, kind of confirms that the dad was not an active parent. I read this article and felt like the dad wanted the limelight, but that's me being cynical.

I read similar articles that indicated the dad was not involved really at all since the suspect was a small child. The suspect had problems getting along with kids (fights, transferring schools, etc) since elementary school. He also wasn’t able to get along with his mother and moved in with his grandmother senior year of high school. His time on the UVA football team as a walk-on was brief and did not overlap with the victims (according the the UVA athletic director press conference today).

What? Articles I read shared that he lived with his father during high school and it was there in Petersburg that he thrived. His mother lived in Mosby Court, which if you are familiar with Richmond, isn't the best. How can you come to the conclusion that a father isn't involved in his life when he lived with him (and not his mother) during high school? Because he hadn't talked to his son in a few weeks, suddenly he abandoned him? Here we go with the serious prejudicial view of a black father who you allude to abandoning his child. Stop.

[Anonymous]

Eh, I got nothing. This is who we are now. I am out of outrage and left with despair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It bothers me that the suspect’s dad says his son revealed that he was being bullied and seemed paranoid, but was reluctant to disclose what he was paranoid about, they didn’t speak again for a month, and now, after his son shot 5 people and killed 3 of them, he’s saying his son could’ve called him instead? I feel like most parents would be doing some soul searching about all the things they should have done differently if their child was a mass shooter.

From reading other articles, I had the sense the dad was not very involved at all with raising his son after the age of 5, and was not really a part of his son's life. Not talking to his son for a month, when he thought his son was troubled, kind of confirms that the dad was not an active parent. I read this article and felt like the dad wanted the limelight, but that's me being cynical.

I read similar articles that indicated the dad was not involved really at all since the suspect was a small child. The suspect had problems getting along with kids (fights, transferring schools, etc) since elementary school. He also wasn’t able to get along with his mother and moved in with his grandmother senior year of high school. His time on the UVA football team as a walk-on was brief and did not overlap with the victims (according the the UVA athletic director press conference today).

What? Articles I read shared that he lived with his father during high school and it was there in Petersburg that he thrived. His mother lived in Mosby Court, which if you are familiar with Richmond, isn't the best. How can you come to the conclusion that a father isn't involved in his life when he lived with him (and not his mother) during high school? Because he hadn't talked to his son in a few weeks, suddenly he abandoned him? Here we go with the serious prejudicial view of a black father who you allude to abandoning his child. Stop.

He did not live with his father and eventually lived with his grandmother.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/14/christopher-darnell-jones-uva-gunman/

He spent his early years living in Richmond public housing complexes, where it was often too dangerous to play outside, the Richmond-Times Dispatch reported in a 2018 profile. At night, while his mother worked, Jones was sometimes responsible for feeding his three siblings, walking to nearby grocery stores to pick up ramen noodles or bologna. When he was 5, his parents divorced and his father left, a loss that he called “one of the most traumatic things that happened to me in my life.”
“When I went to school, people didn’t understand me,” Jones, then 18, said, telling a reporter that he attacked other children who bullied him for being smart, leading to suspensions and stints in alternative school.

When he reached sixth grade, his family moved to Varina, about 10 miles outside Richmond. There, he found mentors, especially through football, but his relationship with his mother fell apart.
In search of a “new start” in 2016, he moved to Petersburg, Va., to live with his grandmother Mary Jones. The Times-Dispatch story reported that over the next two years, mentors “helped him let go of his anger.”
“He always had strong goals. He was ambitious, but his anger simply got in the way,” one of those mentors, Xavier Richardson, said back then. “I try to help him understand that he has been able to succeed despite his obstacles, and he can thrive from them.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It bothers me that the suspect’s dad says his son revealed that he was being bullied and seemed paranoid, but was reluctant to disclose what he was paranoid about, they didn’t speak again for a month, and now, after his son shot 5 people and killed 3 of them, he’s saying his son could’ve called him instead? I feel like most parents would be doing some soul searching about all the things they should have done differently if their child was a mass shooter.

From reading other articles, I had the sense the dad was not very involved at all with raising his son after the age of 5, and was not really a part of his son's life. Not talking to his son for a month, when he thought his son was troubled, kind of confirms that the dad was not an active parent. I read this article and felt like the dad wanted the limelight, but that's me being cynical.

I read similar articles that indicated the dad was not involved really at all since the suspect was a small child. The suspect had problems getting along with kids (fights, transferring schools, etc) since elementary school. He also wasn’t able to get along with his mother and moved in with his grandmother senior year of high school. His time on the UVA football team as a walk-on was brief and did not overlap with the victims (according the the UVA athletic director press conference today).

What? Articles I read shared that he lived with his father during high school and it was there in Petersburg that he thrived. His mother lived in Mosby Court, which if you are familiar with Richmond, isn't the best. How can you come to the conclusion that a father isn't involved in his life when he lived with him (and not his mother) during high school? Because he hadn't talked to his son in a few weeks, suddenly he abandoned him? Here we go with the serious prejudicial view of a black father who you allude to abandoning his child. Stop.

I read that the parents separated when their child was about five and the son lived with mom until the end of high school when he moved in with his father and paternal grandmother. The father apologized on behalf of his son. Why would he want the limelight for such a negative and tragic event? It didn't seem like he was an uninvolved parent.

[Anonymous]

I am a community college professor. Most of my male students are Black. Gun violence has touched almost all of them in some way. It is heartbreaking. There is a feeling of helplessness and deep despair among them. They are trying to build a future for themselves, working, pursuing education. But many of them feel like they are walking targets, to police, to other Black males. They believe their days are numbered, regardless of academic success. I tell them to keep showing up and that I want to see them graduate.

My heart breaks for the families of the victims. So much hope and promise extinguished by senseless violence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It bothers me that the suspect’s dad says his son revealed that he was being bullied and seemed paranoid, but was reluctant to disclose what he was paranoid about, they didn’t speak again for a month, and now, after his son shot 5 people and killed 3 of them, he’s saying his son could’ve called him instead? I feel like most parents would be doing some soul searching about all the things they should have done differently if their child was a mass shooter.

From reading other articles, I had the sense the dad was not very involved at all with raising his son after the age of 5, and was not really a part of his son's life. Not talking to his son for a month, when he thought his son was troubled, kind of confirms that the dad was not an active parent. I read this article and felt like the dad wanted the limelight, but that's me being cynical.

I read similar articles that indicated the dad was not involved really at all since the suspect was a small child. The suspect had problems getting along with kids (fights, transferring schools, etc) since elementary school. He also wasn’t able to get along with his mother and moved in with his grandmother senior year of high school. His time on the UVA football team as a walk-on was brief and did not overlap with the victims (according the the UVA athletic director press conference today).

What? Articles I read shared that he lived with his father during high school and it was there in Petersburg that he thrived. His mother lived in Mosby Court, which if you are familiar with Richmond, isn't the best. How can you come to the conclusion that a father isn't involved in his life when he lived with him (and not his mother) during high school? Because he hadn't talked to his son in a few weeks, suddenly he abandoned him? Here we go with the serious prejudicial view of a black father who you allude to abandoning his child. Stop.

He did not live with his father and eventually lived with his grandmother.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/14/christopher-darnell-jones-uva-gunman/

He spent his early years living in Richmond public housing complexes, where it was often too dangerous to play outside, the Richmond-Times Dispatch reported in a 2018 profile. At night, while his mother worked, Jones was sometimes responsible for feeding his three siblings, walking to nearby grocery stores to pick up ramen noodles or bologna. When he was 5, his parents divorced and his father left, a loss that he called “one of the most traumatic things that happened to me in my life.”
“When I went to school, people didn’t understand me,” Jones, then 18, said, telling a reporter that he attacked other children who bullied him for being smart, leading to suspensions and stints in alternative school.

When he reached sixth grade, his family moved to Varina, about 10 miles outside Richmond. There, he found mentors, especially through football, but his relationship with his mother fell apart.
In search of a “new start” in 2016, he moved to Petersburg, Va., to live with his grandmother Mary Jones. The Times-Dispatch story reported that over the next two years, mentors “helped him let go of his anger.”
“He always had strong goals. He was ambitious, but his anger simply got in the way,” one of those mentors, Xavier Richardson, said back then. “I try to help him understand that he has been able to succeed despite his obstacles, and he can thrive from them.”

Jones Sr. said he separated from his wife and son when Jones Jr. was still a young boy. But when Jones Jr. stopped getting on with his mother, he moved in with Jones Sr. and his grandmother in Petersburg.

There, he played football for Petersburg High School and 'excelled', Jones Sr. said, telling the news outlet that he was 'everyone's friend.'

'Everybody loved Chris, and he had a movie star smile he would flash,' he said.

However, last time he spoke with his son, Jones Sr. said something was wrong. His son has seemed normal when they spoke. But the last time he visited, they just 'sat and talked.

[Anonymous]

What? Articles I read shared that he lived with his father during high school and it was there in Petersburg that he thrived. His mother lived in Mosby Court, which if you are familiar with Richmond, isn't the best. How can you come to the conclusion that a father isn't involved in his life when he lived with him (and not his mother) during high school? Because he hadn't talked to his son in a few weeks, suddenly he abandoned him? Here we go with the serious prejudicial view of a black father who you allude to abandoning his child. Stop.

You are crazy. The only one making this about race is you. I read the same article as PP, stating that Jones was traumatized when his father left, his relationship with his mother fell apart in his teens, and he moved in with his grandmother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a community college professor. Most of my male students are Black. Gun violence has touched almost all of them in some way. It is heartbreaking. There is a feeling of helplessness and deep despair among them. They are trying to build a future for themselves, working, pursuing education. But many of them feel like they are walking targets, to police, to other Black males. They believe their days are numbered, regardless of academic success. I tell them to keep showing up and that I want to see them graduate.

My heart breaks for the families of the victims. So much hope and promise extinguished by senseless violence.

Understandable and heartbreaking. People who witness gun violence can suffer from PTSD and depression, and we too often neglect this.

[Anonymous]

Not sure if this has been posted yet; but an article from a witness on the bus, with more details about the incident as well as what the students were doing prior to it. It makes me so sad: the class seemed really exciting and meaningful; the professor planned an enriching day seeing a play and getting food together; and it sounds like the class, despite their different backgrounds, really bonded over the course material and enjoyed one another's company. This guy took something so positive and turned it into this.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/15/uva-shooting-witness-reveals-details/

[Anonymous]

This is so sad. The suspect had a promising future too. He was a star in high school. What happened and how can it be prevented in the future? Was it bullying? Was he a victim of hazing? Bullying takes a huge toll on victims and perpetrators alike. (Not saying the victims were bullying him.)

From CNN:

“His father, Chris Jones Sr., told CNN affiliate WTVR that his son was "real paranoid ... about something. He wouldn't tell me everything."

Some people were picking on him and Jones Jr. said he didn't know how to handle it, the father told WTKR of a conversation they had a month ago when his son visited. He said he advised his son to just go to class and ignore them.

The father apologized for his son's alleged actions and said he couldn't believe it was him when he was told the news by police.

Jones is from Petersburg, about 24 miles south of Richmond. He went to Varina High School in Henrico County -- about 30 minutes from Petersburg -- for three years where he was a star football player, a member of the National Honor Society, president of the Key Club and student of the year as a freshman and sophomore, according to the UVA football website.

He played his senior season at Petersburg High School where he was honorable mention all-conference as a running back and linebacker.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with a PP. No one knows what they are talking about (Richmond city resident here - ask Jeff for my IP address if you want). Chris’ dad left and was absent for a bit in his childhood when he lived in public housing, Mosby Court in Richmond I would agree that is a bad neighborhood, he did end up living with his father/paternal grandmother senior year in Petersburg that’s when he was excepted to UVA. Father has been involved since then he does laundry at his fathers house talks to his dad, somebody said he hadn’t talk to his dad in a couple of weeks but anybody who has kids in their 20s knows you don’t talk to them every day necessarily especially boys. Chris was on the bus when the shooting happened. A fight broke out and he defended himself with a gun that’s why he’s only been charged with second-degree manslaughter

Nothing published indicates what you are saying it true.

Just wait because everything I’m saying is true.

It.does.not.matter.

[Anonymous]

Such a terrible loss. For all of their families.
Our non-UVA college kids know people who know all of them, including the shooter. Their friends are devastated. And our kids don’t really know how to comfort them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if this has been posted yet; but an article from a witness on the bus, with more details about the incident as well as what the students were doing prior to it. It makes me so sad: the class seemed really exciting and meaningful; the professor planned an enriching day seeing a play and getting food together; and it sounds like the class, despite their different backgrounds, really bonded over the course material and enjoyed one another's company. This guy took something so positive and turned it into this.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/15/uva-shooting-witness-reveals-details/

This is unbearably sad.