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On Monday, November 14, Christopher Darnell Jones was arrested and charged with the shooting at the University of Virginia that killed three football players on Sunday night. He was arrested on three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Jones' father, Christopher Darnell Jones Sr., opened up for the first time since the tragic incident and said that the news about their son had shocked him and Jones Jr.'s mother. He also said that his 22-year-old son had told him that he was getting "picked on" by people.
Jones Sr. told NBC affiliate WWBT of Richmond:
"can’t believe it was him. I still can’t believe it now...He came to the house, and he did his laundry. We sat and talked, and he seemed like he was doing really well."
The last communication he had with Jones Jr. was a month ago, when he visited the house. Though his son seemed distressed, the violence he is accused of has left Jones Sr. shocked.
"When we finally had a chance to talk, he said there were some people there who were giving him a hard time, but he still was upbeat and he was positive. I don’t know what happened between then and now to cause this to happen."
He described his son as a "sensitive young man" and said that something had made Christopher Darnell Jones paranoid, but refused to give any more details.
"He had some problems the last time I talked to him. He said some people were picking on him or whatever. He didn’t know how to handle it. I just told him, 'Go to school, don’t pay them no mind,'" Jones said. “He was really paranoid when I talked to him about something, but he wouldn’t tell me everything. He was a very sensitive young man."
Christopher Darnell Jones' father wondered what pushed his son to go on a shooting spree on Sunday
Around 10:30 pm on Sunday, November 13, Christopher Darnell Jones shot five of his former football teammates on a charter bus, three of whom succumbed to their injuries. He was arrested after hours of hiding from the police and was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday, November 15.
The incident has shocked his parents, Christopher Darnell Jones Sr. and Margo Ellis. The couple, who got divorced when Jones was a young child, have expressed their shock over their son's actions.
Jones Sr. wondered what caused his son to turn to such senseless violence. He also apologized to the victims and their families on his son's behalf.
"What happened? Why did it have to get this far? He could’ve called me. I don’t know why he didn’t call me Saturday. If he had called me Saturday, I think maybe I could have talked him out of some things, maybe, hopefully."
Jones' mother said that she hasn't spoken to her son since the shooting. She couldn't think of a reason that could lead him to go on a shooting spree. According to Fox News, she told the media outlet that Christopher Darnell Jones seemed normal to her on Sunday and was excited to celebrate his upcoming 23rd birthday on November 17.
