
A witness who saw a University of Virginia student start fire on a bus returning from a field trip described to authorities how the shooter targeted specific victims, many of whom were football players, shooting one of them while he slept.
The information came to light at the suspect's initial court appearance, which took place on the same day the university made the decision to postpone its Saturday football game due to the fatal shooting.
After being shown a photograph of the shooting defendant, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a witness recognised him as the shooter, according to the prosecution.
Three football players died on Sunday night, and one player and another student were injured.
Jones, a former football player, participated in the court proceeding on Wednesday by way of a video link from a nearby jail.
He claimed he would seek a lawyer and choose not to enter a plea to the many accusations he is facing.
In order to represent him while he seeks private legal representation, a judge assigned a public defender and ordered that he be held without bond.
Jones, who will turn 23 on Thursday, reportedly went on a field trip with about 20 other students from the Charlottesville campus on Sunday to watch a play in the nation's capital, approximately 195 kilometres away.
Authorities claim that when their bus returned to school, Jones opened fire, killing Lavel Davis Jr., D'Sean Perry, and Devin Chandler.
According to police, Jones managed to escape the gunshot site, sparking a manhunt and a 12-hour campus lockdown that terrified many kids.
He is accused of three counts of second-degree murder, two counts of causing malicious wounds, and other crimes involving firearms.
(with inputs from agencies)