CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – University of Virginia president Jim Ryan has announced plans for an on-campus memorial service that will remember the lives of D’Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler, who were killed in a tragic shooting Sunday night.
The service will be held Saturday, Nov. 19 at John Paul Jones Arena at 3:30 p.m. and will also honor two survivors of the shooting, Marlee Morgan and Michael Hollins Jr.
Ryan said the event will be open to the public and live-streamed as well. There are more details to come about the service, which will be sent to students via email.
This news comes after UVA announced the cancellation of Saturday’s home football game against Coast Carolina as it continues to mourn the deaths of three football players whose lives were taken too soon.
In Ryan’s video announcement, he offered compassion and support, emphasizing that there’s nothing normal about what community members are currently facing.
“I hope you are taking care of yourselves, taking it easy on yourselves, and leaning on each other,” Ryan said in the message. “You have been through an extraordinarily difficult experience, including the loss of three students and the injuries to two others, but also a 12-hour ordeal of sheltering in place – and the fear and uncertainty that attended each one of those hours, whether you are a student, faculty, staff member or parent.”
Undergraduate students will not be required to complete any graded assignments or take exams before Thanksgiving break.
He also stated that the criminal investigation is underway and UVA is inviting an external review “with respect to the university’s interactions with the suspect and whether we did all we could to prevent or avoid this tragedy.” He explained that this process will take a while, but university leaders will continue to share what they learn.
“It’s possible, and perhaps even likely, that we will never find one single thing that will explain this,” he said. “It may also be that we never truly know exactly why this happened. But what we learn, we will share.”
Ryan reminded students, faculty and anyone affected by this tragedy that counseling services will continue to be available at UVA. The university has a resource page with information on future opportunities for walk-ins.
Students may also call Counseling and Psychological Services at 434-243-5150, 24 hours a day. Information about CAPS is available on the Student Health and Wellness website. If students are unable to visit in person, they can also access TimelyCare to speak with a counselor by video or phone, at no charge, 24 hours a day.
You can watch Ryan’s full video message below:
