Cavaliers Now

UVA Remembers Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler, D'Sean Perry on Two-Year Anniversary

Matt Newton

Virginia Athletic
In this story:

1.15.41.

Lavel Davis Jr. Devin Chandler. D'Sean Perry.

After two years, these three young men are still present in the hearts and minds of their families, the UVA football program, and the University of Virginia and Charlottesville communities.

On November 13th, 2022, a tragic shooting on a bus returning from a class field trip to Washington, D.C. claimed the lives of UVA football players Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler, and D'Sean Perry. Two years later, that senseless act of violence is still unthinkable, but the memories of these young men persist in the thoughts of their friends, families, and loved ones as well as the school, city, and community they called home.

On Wednesday, the two-year anniversary of the tragedy, the University of Virginia will honor Davis Jr., Chandler, and Perry. Those on Grounds are asked to step outside on Wednesday afternoon at 1:55pm to observe a moment of silence, followed by the first verse of "Amazing Grace" and then the UVA Chapel bells will toll three times.

Additionally, from 11am to 8pm, students can pick up orange ribbons and write reflections on the South Lawn. At 7pm, students are planning to gather on the steps of Old Cabell Hall to light candles.

"Today at 1:55pm. the UVA Chapel bells will toll to honor the lives of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D'Sean Perry. The bells will ring the first verse of "Amazing Grace," followed by three chimes to remember each of these student-athletes. As we mark two years since their passing, we invite everyone in the UVA community to pause, reflect, and remember Chandler, Davis, and Perry. Together, let us honor their memory and stand in unity and support for all who have been touched by their lives. #UVAStrong."

In his weekly press conference on Tuesday, UVA head football coach Tony Elliott was asked about the two-year anniversary of the shooting and the ongoing challenge of handling and processing it with the team, especially those players who weren't at Virginia two years ago. Here was Elliott's response:

"I wouldn't say challenging, no, because again, as long as I'm the head coach, it's always going to be a part of who we are, kind of the fabric of this staff and this program since the staff took over. The sensitivity, right, is probably the area where you just gotta pay the most attention because again a lot of those guys came here knowing, but they didn't experience it. So you've got to be sensitive to the fact that they don't quite fully know. They want to embrace and so you've got to respect, kind of, their boundaries. And at the same time, too, you want to also be mindful of the ones that were here, where they're at because not everybody is in the same space, right?

I know the process I've had to go through, personally, just to start the healing process and still in the healing process from that and not everybody's in the same space. So, challenging from the standpoint of it's always going to be a part of what we do. There's never going to be a time where we're not conscious of it, aware of it, but at the same time, too, in order for us to kind of progress forward, we have to kind of create a normal here and being sensitive that not everybody was a part of that.

Tomorrow is going to be tough for many. And rightfully so. Probably tougher -- I wouldn't say probably. It's going to be tougher for the Davis family, the Chandler family and the Perry family. But I want to embrace their hardship based off of what I believe and what my faith tells me that I have a responsibility to endure with everybody that I'm associated with and connected with. So we're going to endure tomorrow, but then also I have an opportunity to bring joy, and the way I do that is come to work every single day, be the best version of myself, and then help this football team be the best version of itself because I'm pretty sure that all three of those families felt a lot of joy on last Saturday night seeing the Cavaliers go play well and walk away with victory.

So we'll definitely have the families in our thoughts and prayers and not just them, it's going to be a hard day for Mike [Hollins] because Mike's still here. It's going to be a hard day for Marlee [Morgan], all of the students that were on the bus. This community. I mean, it's going to be a hard day. But what I will say is we can have confidence knowing that, man, we've endured. Man, we've shown what our character is all about, and now back when I said we were going to turn tragedy into triumph, we're kind of coming out of that stage to where now we can walk with some confidence and go bring about the triumph and the beauty that was intended to come out of such a hard and difficult situation."

As we do our part in honoring the legacy of Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler, and D'Sean Perry, we've collected a few of our favorite video tributes and are reposting them below. First, here is the video UVA produced and played at the end of the memorial service held at John Paul Jones Arena the weekend following the shooting.

Here is the video feature Andrea Adelson produced for ESPN College Gameday that week:

At the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell invited the families of each of the victims on stage before announcing that Davis, Chandler, and Perry were being selected as the honorary first picks of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Ahead of Virginia's first home game at Scott Stadium in 2023, Samuel L. Jackson narrated a tribute video for UVA Strong Day:

Published
Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.