A week after three football players were killed on campus, the University of Virginia canceled a game scheduled for Saturday against rival Virginia Tech.
The university made the announcement Monday night, two days after a nearly two-hour memorial service was held in honor of LaVell Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and Deshaun Perry. Three people were shot dead in November. 13 Seeing a play in Washington after a field trip.
“The decision was made following communications between the Atlantic Coast Conference, the State of Virginia, and Virginia Tech’s athletic division administration,” Virginia Tech said in a statement. “Following this devastating tragedy, the ACC and Virginia Tech continues to support UVA…”
UVA student and former football team member Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. began shooting students in the bus as it was parked in a campus parking lot, authorities said.
A prosecutor told the court last week that a witness told police the gunman targeted the specific victim and opened fire while he was asleep. Two other students were injured.
Jones, 23, faces second-degree murder and other charges stemming from the shooting, which sparked a manhunt and a 12-hour campus lockdown before Jones was arrested in suburban Richmond. Jones was held without bail.
Authorities have not released a motive for the crime.
Virginia also canceled a game against No. 1. 23 for Coastal Carolina on Saturday.
Whether it’s the Cavaliers (3-7, 1-6 ACC) under first-year coach Tony Elliott or the Hokeys under first-year coach Brent Pry Neither team (3-8, 1-6), has anything to lose by not playing in their Commonwealth Cup match, the last scheduled match for both sides.
The Hawkies, who endured a massacre in 2007 that left 33 people dead, including the gunman, snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 23-22 victory at Liberty Stadium on Saturday. The Hokies and Virginias share orange as their signature color.
___
AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2