Crime and Public Safety
Lavel Davis Jr. (left), D’Sean Perry (center), Devin Chandler (right)
The President of the University of Virginia uses his own experience with grief to help the campus community learn to face theirs ahead of a memorial service for the victims of the shooting. WFIR’s Emma Thomas with details:
(from Roanoke PD) On November 17at approximately 4:00 a.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 1100 block of Forest Park Blvd NW. Responding officers did not locate a victim at the scene, but did locate a residence that contained evidence of a shooting. Shortly after officers arrived at the Forest Park Blvd address, they were notified by Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital personnel that an adult male had arrived at the hospital via personal vehicle seeking treatment for what appeared to be non-life threatening gunshot wounds. Additional officers responded to the hospital to speak with the victim.
Details are limited at this time due to the victim’s lack of cooperation with investigating officers. No arrests have been made at this time and this remains an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call (540)344-8500 and share what you know. You can also text us at 274637; please begin the text with “RoanokePD” to ensure it’s properly sent. Both calls and texts can remain anonymous.
Jason Miyares
In response to a request by the University of Virginia and the Board of Visitors, Attorney General Jason Miyares has agreed to conduct an external review of the events that led to the shooting death of three UVA student-athletes on Sunday. Miyares will enlist a special counsel to assist in completing this important work; a statement from UVA says they cooperate fully with the investigation – which the A-G’s office says will be shared with, quote, “students, families, the larger UVA community, and government officials at the appropriate time.”
(Text of letter from UVA Rector Whittington W. Clement) Dear General Miyares, We would like to thank you and your team for the support you have provided as our community reckons with the death of three University of Virginia students and serious injuries to two others in a shooting that law enforcement authorities believe was perpetrated by Christopher Darnell Jones, Jr., a fellow University student.
As you know, University Police have requested that the Virginia State Police assume primary responsibility for the continued criminal investigation of this tragic incident. University Police officials, along with other state and federal law enforcement agencies, will continue to assist the Virginia State Police in the criminal investigation into this matter, which we expect will support a successful
prosecution of Mr. Jones. As that investigation proceeds, there are many valid questions about the shooting that have yet to
be answered and are unlikely to be answered in the course of criminal proceedings. Accordingly, we write today to request that you exercise your authority under Virginia law to appoint outside special counsel with expertise in these matters to conduct an independent review of the University’s response to the shooting, as well as the efforts the University undertook in the period before
the tragedy to assess the potential threat Mr. Jones posed to our community.
Finally, we request that the special counsel review all relevant University policies and procedures and make recommendations if opportunities for improvement or needs for change are identified. We will cooperate fully with your office and the special counsel who conducts the review. We thank you again for your leadership and support in this difficult moment.
MGN
Roanoke County Public Schools hope a $250,000 grant will help provide another layer of safety and security. Like virtually all school systems, Roanoke County has undertaken a number of safety-related steps in the last ten years or so, some of them quite visible, others less so. Now comes one that’s been on the wish list for much of that time in hopes of better integrating radio communications with Roanoke County Police. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
The City of Roanoke has rolled out The Empathy Project, a collaboration between the Youth and Gang Violence Prevention team, several local artists and the Berglund Center. Stories and art connected to those who have lost loved ones to gun violence will be posted on the Empathy Project Facebook page; in partnership with the Berglund Center photographs of families impacted will also be posted on two billboards in Roanoke. Spoken/written word artist Bryan Brown Hancock penned, performed and recorded the tributes. Jane Gabrielle was the visual artist who did the paintings. The message: behind every gun violence statistic is a person with dreams, goals and families. City manager Bob Cowell:
Lavel Davis Jr. (left), D’Sean Perry (center), Devin Chandler (right)
Roanoke area delegate Sam Rasoul posted this message today, along with the GoFundMe links for the three UVA football players fatally shot on Sunday night: “Three families faced an immensely tragic loss this week. These three students were taken far too soon.” If you would like to contribute, here are the GoFundMe campaigns for the families of Lavel Davis, Jr., Devin Chandler, and D’Sean Perry.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/lavel-tyler-davis…
https://www.gofundme.com/f/g3hfhj-devin-chandler…
https://www.gofundme.com/f/paying-tribute-to-dsean…
Just down Route 29 from Charlottesville where three students at UVA were shot dead Sunday night by another student, the City of Lynchburg is no stranger to gun violence and now community leaders may soon have one more tool at the ready as they work to reduce those incidents. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
