Devin Chandler, who played with Wisconsin football in 2020 and '21, Died in University of Virginia Shooting. The University of Wisconsin football program suffered two tragic losses in less than 24 hours over the weekend.
Current UW players and coaches learned Monday that Devin Chandler, a wide receiver/return specialist who played at UW in 2020 and part of 2021, was among three shooting fatalities Sunday night at the University of Virginia.
UW officials postponed football interviews Monday after learning of Chandler’s death.
That came after the death of former UW tailback Brent Moss on Sunday. The cause of death of Moss, 50, has not been revealed.
University of Virginia Police Chief Tim Longo announced at a late-morning news conference that the suspect, former Virginia football player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., 22, was in custody. University President Jim Ryan identified the deceased as Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry, all members of the Virginia football team.
Shooting Incident
The shooting took place near a parking garage on campus just after 10:15 p.m. Sunday, resulting in the three deaths and two injuries. Ryan said the shooting took place on a bus full of students returning from a field trip to see a play in Washington, D.C. One of the injured students was in critical condition and the other student was in good condition at a local hospital, according to Ryan.
The shooting touched off an intense manhunt, with authorities ordering students to shelter in place and conducting a building-by-building and grounds search of the campus. Students stayed in place for more than 12 hours until the order was lifted late Monday morning.
Career
Chandler, a native of North Carolina who also spent part of his high school career in Tennessee, appeared in six games in his two seasons with the Badgers as a receiver and kickoff returner.
He averaged 26.0 yards on six kickoff returns, had two receptions for 28 yards and rushed one time for 18 yards in 2020.
Chandler did not see his playing time increase in 2021, however, and he entered the transfer portal in October. He finished the 2021 season with a 21.3-yard average on four kickoff returns and announced in December he planned to transfer to Virginia.
Tributes
Former UW punter Drew Meyer, a graduate of Arrowhead High School, is a special teams analyst at Virginia.
Current UW players Nick Herbig, Braelon Allen and Curt Neal and former UW players Kendric Pryor and Markus Allen shared their thoughts on Twitter.
Their messages, regardless of the words chosen, were the same.
They were devastated.
"I can’t breathe my boy," Neal, a North Carolina native, wrote. "I should never have to make a RIP post about you. I’m hurt."
Interim head coach Jim Leonhard released a statement shortly after noon.
"I was shocked and saddened to hear of Devin's passing," he wrote. "He had a lasting impact on his teammates even after he left UW, which is a testament to the type of person he was.
"His personality was infectious and he was a joy to be around. Our team is hurting for him and his family. I want to personally extend my condolences to his family and the Virginia football family."